There was a day
A day she began
To crave the destruction
Of hands raised in fury
Of jagged edged words
Of nostrils flaring over thin lips
There was a day
A day she decided
To never let herself be pretty
Old men creep, searching for pretty
Cast kisses in basement rooms
Grope with knotted blue hands
There was a day
A day she announced
She’d never choose a dress again
Flowing skirts trip running legs
Wave wildly, a banner announcing softness
Dresses beg their eyes to follow you
There was a day
A day she chose
To clothe herself in shades of red
As a lure to honeybees and sweet-seekers
As a warning of the fire within
As a vestige of outrage
There was a day
A day she seized
Control over the inevitable
Power is born from instigation
Men are ships propelled by desires
Few can withstand a constant warm breeze
There was a day
A day she sprouted
An iron rod in place of a spine
Taut jutting shoulder blades
Iron cannot be broken by the hands
Of even the strongest of men
There was a day
A day she learned
To jab her chin towards the sky
Where there aren’t eyes to meet
Where she was untouchable
Jaw uplifted like middle finger
The was a day
A day she mastered
The art of throwing words like knives
The slicing fury of seething black wit
Held against underbellies
The unlacing of souls by tongue
There was a day
A day she discovered
Her brows could slash dark
Over half-masted eyes
As weapons of defense
Against an encroaching army
There was a day
A day she started
To craft her face from marble
Chisel defiance from rock
Coarse sculpture of a girl’s profile
If not beautiful, at least cold and hard
There was a day
A day she realized
How fragile her homespun walls
A tower of blocks disturbed
A paper crown torn from head
So much glitter scattered to the wind
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