grrrl pwr
at age 13:
girls were Sluts; Bitches, Whores, or Prudes,
and we thought that the length of jean aeropostle shorts
were fuses that would lead to some dangerous explosion of promiscuity because:
the gentle line of a bra strap on a bony shoulder
and a v-neck on a flat chest
and spindly knees peeking out from a frilly skirt were
cries for attention, black flags of surrender meant to
catch a boy's eyes.
there's nothing crueler than Middle School Girls
who, in their 4 or 5 foot capacitites,
have the ability to tear each other apart, in packs,
like hungry lionesses.
and the amount of times that Marie kissed Jeremy
against the background of school lookers,
or what-Jessie-told-me-that-Rachel-told-her-that-Jacki-texted-Ava-who-tweeted-WHAT
Marie let Jeremy do to her
hung over Marie like the mark of a limping gazelle,
because what Marie said and wore and did
was not hers; it was food - for thought.
at age 18:
girls are Goddesses; Smart, Powerful, and Strong
and like some inverse mathematical principle,
as shoulders broadened
and chests expanded
and lets grew longer in shorts,
the lionesses shrank to become birds,
and in bright feathers or dull ones
stubby, long, full, or unequal wings
they flew in flocks, or alone, and didn't care at all.
at age 18, women soar.