Fairy tale princess sheets
Birthday cards filled with
Expectations
A cake tainted with calories.

In hushed whispers
Soliloquies about crushes and heartbreak
Pop culture screams
In your ear.

Skinny, curvy
Lanky, short
Tan, pale
Magazines made for growing girls
Only speak of boy’s desires.

Braces pasted on your
Crooked teeth
Your smile changes
Makeup slathered on your eyes
Clouding your vision.

Cartoons become reality T.V.
The New Jersey Housewives are
Behind bars.

Long sleeved shirts
In the summer
Your brother’s t-shirts make you look
Lesbian
Blue is for boys.

Shame felt from
Beating that boy
He looks at you like you are a freak
A small part of you
Agrees.

A body you used to love
Legs that allowed you to be
The fastest in your class
Do not look good in skinny jeans.

Your brother figures out that
It’s not cool to let his little sister
Paint his nails
He gives you a minor concussion
His friends do worse.

You used to love to wear skirts
But one day the vice principal’s son looks up
As you skip to math class
Your favorite ivory skirt sits black in
The fireplace.

Expectations fall short
Daddy expects more
From his little angel
Mommy can’t figure out
Where she went wrong.

Test grades on a steady decline
Clothes that are too small
You keep hidden
Hugging your chest
Hoping he notices.

You say yes
But you mean no
He doesn’t bother to ask
Twice.

Tears shed
Friends lost
Like nails on a chalkboard
You can’t help
But listen