The Fourth Grader

I remember it like it was just yesterday
As I write this, I have a lot to say
It was my Fourth Grade Class picture day
I really hope my tears don't get in the way!

My floral tan dress made up for my short hair
I wore my dress with such pride and care
The weather for my dress was fair
Getting my dress dirty? I did not dare!

When it was time to show my smile
My class was lined up in single file
I was ready to show off my style
I knew that I'd have hold in place for a short while

I was ready to get my picture done
The second take was the better one
Sitting still wasn't fun
I was hoping my picture would stun

But...It didn't...

Hanging it on the living room wall didn't last
My stepmother made my picture the outcast
From then on, I cried to myself as I walked passed
My stepmother had something against my teeth-I wanted it down fast!


She said I had ''buck teeth''
Hearing that, hurt me so deep
It was a picture of me, she didn't want to keep
I didn't tell her that I would weep

What happened to it when taken down?
Do they still have it around?
Did they trash my picture, because shame was too loud?
I don't know....I just know, it may be lost and never found

Did my stepmother regret it later?
She took many pictures with the family, but I never did grade her
She said awful things about my appearance in my picture, but what made her?
She didn't even care that girl in the picture was only a fourth grader