Random Acts of Poetry: For Our Daughters, When the World Tries to Speak Louder Than We Do

(I feel the need to add a note to this one. I am the mother of a small daughter and I have had a lot of these phrases come from her mouth and it disturbs me that my precious, gorgeous, perfect daughter should be made to feel inadequate by the world. This is for her and every other precious daughter, from every color of the rainbow, to hug them when no one's around and to strengthen them when they feel weak and to yell out loud when the world's voice becomes too insistent. Please share it if you feel it.)

Little girls are like precious flowers blooming

All the while there are dangers looming

Someone’s trying to throw salt in their roots

To cause a wound that no amount of mommy’s kisses can heal

When I was a little girl, I was unaware of the dangers

The strange hands of strangers that always seemed to

Come too close to closed quarters

No matter how close I watch her

I have to let her go away from me

And when I was her age my worries were limited

To how quick I could climb that tree

Or how can I ditch this skirt so my mom won’t see

But my daughter cries out to me “mommy, do u think I’m skinny”

Mommy, I think there’s too much fat on me

Mommy my hair is too nappy,

I think it’s time for a perm”

And I just want her to learn how gorgeous she is

How perfect God made her

That she should embrace herself now, before the world lets her go

There’s so much to know and not enough time to teach it

I wish I could instill confidence if I just speak it

But there are voices that are trying to be louder than mine

So I hold her close and whisper to her

How her beauty is skin deep and deep within her heart

That she is a perfect creation of the one true God

That what others say don’t matter, that she must be good always

And to not put much clout into what those mean girls say

That mommy’s arms will always be a fortress for her

And that power is at hand through prayer

And that I’ll be strong for her even in weak times

That no one can destroy a strong mind

That men may come to weaken her resolve

That you can get rid of a bad man with a swift kick to the balls

That saying no is always better than saying yes

And that life matters more about what’s in your mind than the way you dress

That having a baby before you’re legally old enough to drink is not such a good idea

But that doesn’t mean kill it before it’s all the way here

That my love for her is endless, so that boys love don’t mean shit

And together, no matter the problem, we can take care of it

That crying is sometimes a necessary thing,

But crying alone is never an option as long as I’m breathing

That broken hearts heal, but broken minds don’t

That boys may like you if you open your legs, but they will respect you if you don’t

That sometimes, as women we cry more than we ought to

That we love harder than we think we should

And we don’t laugh hardly enough

And that sometimes the going gets tough

And sometimes the path beneath our feet feels rough

But when we get tired, just lean on the Father

And He will carry you a while

That it takes more muscles to frown than to smile

That there are some things that can be felt, but the words won’t fit

That love is more action than words, and it will fill you with joy if you let it

I’m running along here, but I have so much to say

Because, inevitably, I won’t be around one day

So let me hold you a little longer, before you’re too old to hold

One last thing: God is always in control

I love you, just the way you are