Bedtime Story

“story of a girl who thought nothing would ever happen to her.
story of a girl who got out of bed this morning.
story of a girl who loved harder than she cried,
and she cried a lot.
story of a girl who painted her skin
so she would like it better.
story of a girl who did away with
what she used to hide behind,
who stood naked in the street
and dared the world
to judge her.
story of a girl deemed worthy,
despite every reason she felt
like she wasn’t.

 story of a girl looking for someone to hold her.
story of a girl running from it.
story of a girl who felt like a girl
more often than she didn’t.
story of a girl who felt like a firefight.
story of a girl who sewed
brass knuckles into her skin,
who fought with kisses instead of fists,
who kept putting her mouth
where she wasn’t supposed to.
story of a girl who talked big.
story of a girl who loved loud.
story of a girl with no white knight
no dragon
no tower.
story of a girl who is still
trying to rescue
herself.”

— BEDTIME STORY, by Ashe Vernon