I didn't know what to say

When I laughed out loud

and you told me to shut up

When I felt this deep shame

burning my cheeks

numbing my thighs, my hands, my feet

when my joyful singing at the dinner table

embarrassed you

and when grown cousin N smirked

as you said, 'that's enough'

I didn't know what to say

when my skirt was too short

or when my walk was too wild

or my legs were too open

or my gait was too quick

when my period was inconvenient

and my tears a nuisance

I didn't know what to say

when my thoughts were too deep

or when my words were 

too wise

too big for my age

when the wise girl in me

decidedly huddled into 

a remote corner inside

of my chest

while the good little girl

came out 

to please

to be hurt

to be moulded

to be bent

to be smooshed

into the narrow crevices

of your stuffy society

I didn't know what to say

So I took a pen and a paper

and handed it to the wise girl

On paper, she was allowed

to be wise

to be angry

to be critical

to laugh

to sing

to love

to dream

of worlds where little girls

could be little and kind

little and wise

little and angry

little and wild

little and whole