When she was growing

I realized when she was growing

Not by the way her face seemed to angle

Not by the change in her words

Or by the weight of her wardrobe

I realize she was growing

Not when her feet touched the ground

Or when her eyes still sparkled under

The bags of heartache, loneliness, and insecurity

I am realizing that she was growing

When she learned to carry herself as her

Unapologetically, interminable,

Clear as a melody, a mirror, a spire

I will realize she was growing

When her story unfolds

Deftly told, uncontrolled

Unforgotten