RELATIONSHIPS | LIFE | POETRY | GROWTH

Answer Me, Girl

A poem of fear and courage.

Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash

Who are you
Going to be, Girl?

Her knees rattled and
Banged violent whispers
As she stood trembling
Before her reflection.

Through the glass pane
Of the back door,
The golden hour gave warmth
To grass and
Children’s playthings.

Her hands tucked snuggly
Into her pockets,
Icy, not from the weather,
But from her mind.

Frozen by insidious fear.

A stroke of her thumb
Against her ring finger,
A reminder of how heavy
That finger had become.

A band of unity,
Once upon a time.
The band repurposed itself
Into an iron chain.
A symbol of self-hate
Amidst perpetual self-sacrifice.