In the quiet of the night

I hear my story.

Not my thoughts,

my truth.

The tethers to my ancestors,

the silk web to my future children.

I hear my birth and my death;

I hear my story

and I realize

it’s not just my story—

it’s the story of the ages.

How we walk gently between

now and eternity.

Dear Girl,

you ask me what I wish for you.

I simply say—

never allow any soul to clip your wings

you were not born an ember,

you were born the flame.

I come from a line of wild women

divine in their pursuit of truth.

For the women I come from

do not run with the wolves;

they lead the pack.

Dear Girl,

oftentimes we women start to rise,

then certain people devise a plan to disenfranchise.

Whether it’s our bodies or rights,

entice us with movements,

unite us through persecution.

Dear Girl,

open your eyes.

We have come so far it’s easy to resign.

We’ve got “equality”

but public policy shows the contrary, honestly.

One in six women could be raped in their lives

and it’s mostly seen as a victimless crime.

What should every girl know?

You are not some puppet in a puppet show.

Expose the double standards,

the hypocrisy, the hate.

It is never too late.

This is the moment of girls taking the reins.

It is Time’s Up.

It is Me Too.

It is everyone from me

to you

who has spoken

or stayed silent

but strong.

And for every survivor who speaks

only to be met

with intimidation, investigation, and disbelief:

Dear Girl,

you will be believed.

If not by Senate floors and investigators,

we will hear you, Dear Girl,

we will see you, Dear Girl,

we will stand by you.

For the survivor three thousand miles away or the one next door,

you are heard.

Justice will not always prevail

but we will continue to fight

tooth and nail.

You are heard.

So that our sisters and daughters will never be asked,

rather

harassed,

whether they wanted it,

regretted it,

or just forgot.

Believe me,

no one forgot.

***

Dear Everyone,

grab ahold of your voice.

It is time to make a choice

to believe survivors

to pay us all the same

to give women of color equal access and opportunity

to protect the safety of trans girls every day.

Make the choice to change the climate,

make the choice not to stay silent.

This is not the era of girls,

this is the future of girls.

I hid my anger for far too long,

buried it in the bowels of my being

and turned it on myself, like a sword to my own neck.

We are taught

anger is ugly.

Dear Girl,

your rage burns bright and when it is felt

it melts into grief, and from that grief

love is born.

There is love so great

it’s like the sun kissing the sea goodnight

as it melts into the horizon.

That love

is a mother’s love.

Dear Mother,

I see your fears baked into how you raised me.

I see them tremble from your lips as you warn me.

I know you are terrified of the world that could swallow
me whole.

But Mother, you need not fear,

because even if I am swallowed up,

I will kick until I am spit back out.

I will fight with the fists you gave me.

I will shout from the gut you built for me.

Dear Mother,

you need not worry.

For I am the warrior you always dreamed you’d have.

I will not go down fighting

because I will not go down at all.

When a girl is born into a world

where she has no control over her body,

she learns to live in a body that is not hers, but owned
by the state.

She grows up to believe that obedience is her middle name.

When a girl is born into a world

that does not value her body,

she learns to exist on the periphery of society

as if growing into her spine is too much to ask for.

Your cruelty is no match for my spirit.

Try to break me

and you will see

love that pours like blood from my wounds.

To break me, you would have to make me hate,

and like I said,

your cruelty is no match for my spirit.

You tell your daughter that she is being emotional, irrational,

yet you tell your son that he is being strong, smart;

you are teaching your daughter to doubt her feelings,

to question her beliefs.

And so when she is mistreated,

she will think back to what was said

under your roof

and believe those gut feelings we speak of

are merely irrational thoughts,

while your son believes every thought he has is fair and right.

Be careful how you raise your daughters.

Be careful how you raise your sons.

When you teach your daughter

that her body is only pure untouched,

you are teaching her

that she can be ruined at the hand of man.

Raise your daughter to know

that what’s in between her thighs

is hers to own,

whether it be for a woman, man, or anyone to see.

Teach your daughter

that she is a gift

so she knows her worth

but doesn’t feel shame

in sharing her beauty.

Dear Girl,

there is a fire raging inside of you;

do not allow anyone to try to extinguish it:

it is mighty

it is brave

it is you.

And so on those nights

when you think you are broken,

remember the flame

and feel it burn.

Next time they are cruel to you,

listen carefully,

and if you listen

you will hear their pain,

and just like that

you will see their heart.

I don’t know what I’m doing;

all that I do know is

I chase what sets my soul on fire

to the ends of earth,

till the end of time.

When you are lost,

look back at the women you came from,

for they were warriors

and their path

will guide you

to yours.