It's her twenty-fifth birthday
and she's five by five.
A twist of fate
left her lost in a sea of demons,
physical and mental, real and fake,
left all alone
with only her own strength.
'Want, take, have'
left her wanting, taken and had
by con artists and charmers
who took and took
then turned and ran.
Trying to connect
left her abandoned and burned
by mentors and 'friends' alike
who taught her
she wasn't good enough.
Then towns and hellmouths collapsed and died,
crumbling to dust before her eyes.
Trial and error made her wise
to others' honeyed lies.
Fighting to survive
led her to a sense of belonging
that was fragile and new but true,
with fellow warriors
and fellow survivors.
And she is no longer alone.
It's her twenty-fifth birthday
and she's finally five by five.