girl world
by Alicia Zhou, The Bishop's School '23
August 19, 2020

"Disintegration" by Michelle Sze, Del Norte High School '21
I don’t want to know
The familiar feeling that I feel when I see
You trying to pretend that everything is ok.
When girls
Pretend to roll their eyes at the thought of attention from boys and men
And call this the inconvenience of their daily life
When their body is thought to be made for others
Branded as a prude in front of others
and then a slut in front of some
And the list goes on and on and on.
Then some more.
Girls selling their body for the ability to feed
Being branded less than
Because of what?
Their cells have two x chromosomes instead of one?
This
And then men with eyes and lips and fingers that taint
Believe they can lay claim
To someone’s first kiss? Someone’s memory portfolio?
Someone’s life?
This
And still girls
No matter what the doctors say when they are born
Or what their parents say when they blossom
Of them being a fighter
Girls, they are the epitome of being a fighter
And still girls say
I’m sorry.
I should have
Been better.
I don’t want to know this.
I’m sorry.
I should have been better.