i.
how come i cannot find
a playbook for young girls
so they can be
stormcatchers
& cartographers of their lives
instead of walking with bounded
feet and wounded hands
ii.
child
draw your dream in a paper
and tuck them in your pocket
-fisher of stars
-wind catcher
-queen of seven seas
-king of lost forests
your pimp will not want them
your jail keeper will thow away the key
they belong to you
in heat of hunger and cold of despair
in the lonely hours of darkness
unfold their inconceivable wings & glorious eyes
unflinching and unvanquished
fixed on you
no, you will not forget them
they belong to you
they cannot be bought
they cannot be sold
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Stormy Weather, with guest host, Andrew Wilson. Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST. Thanks for your comments.
Gosh, Grace! I did not expect this poem to take the turn it did and what a strong message for young girls - you plot the path of just the playbook whose lack you lament...
ReplyDeleteThat’s a wonderful idea, Grace, a ‘playbook for young girls so they can be stormcatchers & cartographers of their lives’. These lines stood out for me:
ReplyDelete‘in heat of hunger and cold of despair
in the lonely hours of darkness
unfold their inconceivable wings & glorious eyes’.
wow
ReplyDeleteA poignant narrative for girks growing to be conscious young women. Bravo
ReplyDeletemuch♡love
A wonderful poem, Grace. Dreams cannot be bought and sold! I love it!
ReplyDeletepowerful. eloquent. timely ~
ReplyDeleteTerrible loss when the world is too vanquished for such homeward sightings offered by "stormcatchers and cartographers," but good there is ample room for them still inside in the walled garden of the heart. Too bad that's such a lonely place nowadays, made so by the vanishings without. Are my maps even legible any more?
ReplyDeleteOh wow--such a beautiful, stunning poem, Grace. You've managed a strong message in an ethereal verse. 💙
ReplyDelete"a playbook for young girls
ReplyDeleteso they can be
stormcatchers
& cartographers of their lives"
"in the lonely hours of darkness
unfold their inconceivable wings & glorious eyes
unflinching and unvanquished"
I love the quiet strength in this poem, Grace 🌸
I love the strength, such a poignant piece.
ReplyDeleteYou ask a very pertinent question. Why isn't there? In our world full of virtue signalling and being on the right side of history, who exactly is defending the rights of girls to grow into women on the same terms that boys grow into men? Is this really as good as it's going to get?
ReplyDeleteGrace, your poem packs a profound and deep punch. I should be easier, not more difficult growing into womanhood.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great poem , I am in awe 💜
ReplyDeleteGreat powerful poetry.
ReplyDeletePowerful, and beautifully written, Grace!
ReplyDelete