I am a girl becoming a woman. People throw their puzzled looks at me and I know they’re wondering: Who does she look like? But I am learning to say: Me. I look like me. I am a girl becoming a woman. My skin is a home and a hurt. I look in the mirror and see a mother I’ve never met. My mama looks at me with love but doesn’t always see my struggle. I have kin in places I never even knew. I am strong even when I feel scared. I open my mouth and songs spill out. I love. I hurt. I wonder. I love. I hurt. I wonder. That’s the blues. And I sing it loud. I sing it true. You can’t stop the blues. You just have to trust your heart and let them pour out of you.