She always wears baggy t-shirts,

To hide the heart monitor stuck on her side.

She looks normal,

With long auburn hair,

Bright blue eyes,

And freckles dotted across her nose.

In fact,

She looks beautiful.

But you would never guess,

That her heart isn’t whole,

And the hospital nurses know her by name.

A string banner going across her wall,

Holds hospital bracelets,

And a billion glass beads for every visit.

When she goes to school,

She acts and looks like everyone else,

And even can do some PE,

But really,

She is not normal.

She has a box,

Decorated with stickers and glitter,

Made by her five-year-old self,

Which holds all the painful pictures,

Of hospital visits, she wants to forget.

And sometimes her family,

Just doesn’t understand her.

And on those days,

She retreats into her room,

And counts the glass beads with a trembling finger.

She isn’t normal,

Because has the heart of a lioness.