girl world

by Alicia Zhou, The Bishop's School '23

"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.