I hated taking pictures
I couldn't bear to look
At the photos I had taken
Laid neatly in the book
I couldn't find the beauty
The smiles weren't real
Everything looked hollow
I'd forgotton how to feel

The pictures said 1000 words
I lacked the courage to speak
I'd become a shadow
Quiet, tired and meek
When did I become this thing
I had to ask myself
My heart and soul were hiding
I'd put them on a shelf

Looking back is painful
All the wasted time
Taking hollow pictures
Of a face that wasn't mine.
Hard to turn the page
On the memories that burn
Though I'm grateful now
For the lessons that I learned

My heart and soul
Are off the shelf
And he is long gone too
Now the pictures of myself
Have the smile that is true
The frames of him
Have been removed
The light no longer dim
Take my picture
You will see
The woman I
Was meant to be