How Far We've Come

"The Girl with the Hello Kitty Hat" by Glen Bledsoe. Source. License: CC by 4.0.

I wonder if she'll believe me when I tell her we made it.

Those soft, brown eyes

Reminiscent of chestnuts roasting in the heat of the sun.

I wonder, when I grab her hand—

Half the size of mine –

If the tears welling in her eyes will finally go away.

I wonder if, at night,

In the deepest corners of her mind,

As she lies in bed 

Gazing at glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling,

She knows that she will grow into a woman…

The women before us sacrificed their youth

So we could soar higher than the clouds

So we could escape from the bitter taste of heartbreak

The crushing pain of disappointment

The relentless tide of anxiety, crashing like waves.

Womanhood seemed impossible.

But oh, I have to tell you, my sweet girl,

Womanhood tastes like the sweet sap of honey,

Dusted with salt, that tingles in the wounds bound to heal—

It stings before it soothes.

It smells of rosewater and morning dew,

Pooling softly on blades of grass at dawn.

Her eyes are mine,

Our hearts beating the same song

As I walk her to her bed, a shrine to the color pink

And admiration for Hello Kitty.

It's okay now, I tell her, brushing a ringlet away from her face.

You no longer have to hide.

You no longer have to suppress yourself.

Look how far we have come.

I tuck the lessons under the fold of the pillowcase

The strength in remaining soft,

The power of being quiet,

Like a fairy dusting pixie dust—

The magic of staying kind,

When the world is not.

Tonight, I do not wonder.

I pull the blanket to her chin,

Kiss her temple,

And let her rest.

We have made it.