Poem Z

FOLDED GIRLS 

At the other end of the millennium

In a forest deep and green

A pride of girls held a ritual

And entered their own dreams.

One became a deer, one became a bear

One became a river of stone.

Each one was given armor and wisdom

And each one woke up, a woman.

But late last night, in a desperate rite

In a jungle made of steel

A student believed some lies she received

And she starved herself back to a girl.

Little girl lost,

Little line crossed

A little bit more each day.

Confidence,

dropped

Blossoming,

stopped

She's folding herself away.

Just at the time

when young girls are finally

Given the keys to the moon

They are told not to try unlocking the sky

Until they unearth their own bones.

Who can you blame

when it strikes them like rain

A drop at a time.

And like all growing things

they are ingrained:

Abide by the laws of your tribe.

So they bind up their wills

and use them as spells

Invoking dark transformations.

And at night while they sleep,

while their mirrors weep

They wander, lost in their own dreams.

Little girls lost

Little coins tossed

Onto the altars of shame.

Self respect,

turned.

Self contempt,

learned

They're folding themselves away.

At the other end of the millennium

Life wasn't easy. Or safe.

But deep at night,

when girls would ignite

Women emerged from the flames.