She clutched her square phone with eyes that never held hope
and she about 12 yo but I really couldn’t tell though
her sleeves went past her elbows in when she pulled them low
they covered the cuts that ran back and forth like railroads
a short bow up in her hair that matched her shell toes
she stared at me in pale clothes she stood there froze
she said can I show you a picture in my cellphone
it’s of my dad and aint I seen him since he left home
but I aint mad it’s just my mom she feels all alone
and don’t feel bad cause this is all we’ve ever came to know
this pic is my new school but I don’t ever wants to go
cuz everyone thinks they too cool and I hate it so
I hide in my room and then I go and then I locks the door
I don’t know what to do my mom she thinks she lost control
I wanna show you a little picture before I gots to roll
I said sure then she pulled it out slow saying..

if I told you if I showed you
my pictures is all I can hold to
would I know you could I hope you
see that my pictures are all I can hold to

if God loves me then why he make me face this
I think I’m ugly I wanna change it like a facelift
then suddenly she went and took off her bracelets
showed me the cuts up on wrists and where they made prints
sometime I get mad don’t know how to take this
she showed me a picture of her dad back in 86
we look alike all the way to how our face gets
I said your right and then I laughed but let me show this

they say a picture’s worth a thousand words that I’m sure of
but let me show you this very picture you aint never heard of
pulled out a book and she said well tell me what is that
there aint no pictures in that book thats just a page that’s black
I said this picture represents exactly where we at
we in the dark without a spark of hope that will last
I flipped the page she said that aint a picture neither
that’s just a blank page why don’t you look a bit deeper
this represents the very place now that we can go
its all based on this next page I gots to show
the next page is red you understanding this
well that’s the blood that Jesus shed so you can live
and you can exchange your old pictures right now for Him
and you can trade it all in for what he’s down to give
I put the pictures in her hands see it comes down to this
which ones you holding on to yours or His