Metamorphosis....an ugly duckling

In a world of gaiety and laughter,
She looked lost and sad,
But no one looked into her heart,
They thought she was mad!

Her mother often worried,
Her father admonished, brushing off,
She was a wilting flower,
Who could not withstand the rough.

The strong and mighty bullied,
She was victim of their jeer;
''Her color was dark,'' ''she was slow'',
Only ridicules, all around, not one cheer!

With every passing autumn,
The hue of life disappeared,
But in nature's enigmatic ways,
She blossomed, but problems snared.

But one fine day, she looked in her soul,
Found determination and courage,
With mother's blessings and father's love,
She discovered in her a rage.

Armed with knowledge that sagacity brings,
She charged upon the world!
Crumbling all her detractors of yore,
Astounding them with her image of bold.

Gone was the loser, they always thought,
In stepped a beauty queen,
Radiant with charm, wit and fearless heart,
She arrived!only to win!