Valeria Valdez Soto
Mr. Flores
Greeley West High School

More Than A Woman

Soft pinks and dolls crowded the room
of a girl
A girl whose hair grew long
Whose wardrobe couldn’t be further from boyish
whose mind couldn't help but feel
she wasn't herself

Inside a padlocked chest, all the things she could know
about herself
Behind a barricaded door, all the things she could imagine
herself to be

Did the scissors,
hacking at their hair,
help find the key?
Did the thoughts,
wishing they had been born with a certain masculinity,
help find the strength to push away the barrier?

The sweet, feminine voices
Spilling comments about their daily lives
Their tribulations consisting of boys, hair, and clothing
She could relate to them
But not in the way that they would understand
Not being able to share any of it in the casual manner
That their conversations carried

Jealousy clawing at a heart,
The natural charm and jaunty demeanor they naturally exude,
inciting a riot in the far corners of a mind

Stealing glances at a mirror,
shunning her own reflection,
Wishing nobody to see her as she did herself
Wishing to replace it with the person who could be perceived as a boy
A person who could be mistaken for a him
Instead of a her
Without having to say anything first

Every day being a new one,
A new day to look at herself,
And perhaps figure out what makes her

More Than a Woman