My pockets were filled with eyeless dolls
waiting to be painted different colors,
brought to life and then dyed,
blow-dried and tied
to the bedpost until they learned
how to rip themselves apart,
plant and uproot,
create their own eyes,
and grow comfortable not fitting in
to anyone else’s fairy tale
or carrying case. We are not all house pets
looking for an owner or a groom
or someone to wash our hair. We want to own ourselves.
To apply our own makeup in different colors.
To choose our own outfits that resemble small monsoons.
Then watch us grow and fly across the room,
until we break out of the window and rise up.
