girl meets world
The girl cannot write of trees lest she become their roots sprouting brilliant and full up, up, up pinnacle of self absorbed to soil rich.
The girl cannot engage the sky as metaphor or ceiling of hope transitioning with colors and child pointing upwards with a scream— milk.
The girl cannot hike the mountain lest she become summit or zenith or peak role model to those looking on
dirty and rugged but sturdy capable of being girl and full, possibilities of being girl and a blessing of being girl and black, truth of being girl and free of being girl and nothing else matters but being girl and more than one narrative of being girl exists and transcending beyond black girl love is broken truth
being girl is desperate rebellion.
Gervanna Stephens is a Jamaican poet and proud Slytherin with congenital amputation living in Canada. She is Assistant Editor with The/tƐmz/Review, hates public speaking, has two sisters who are better writers than her & thinks unicorns laugh when we say they aren’t real. Recent or forthcoming work can be found in Moonchild Magazine, Ghost City Press, Montreal Writes and Yes Poetry. She is a regular contributor for Marías at Sampaguitas.