IT STARTS NOW
by Matilda, 11, NSW
I used to love “boys” things.
I didn’t love pink skirts, dresses and rings.
And I’ve never looked in the mirror and seen the mess
Of a stereotypical girl, in a bow and a dress.
I was always the grey sheep in a sea of white.
The little girls that walk down the street
All seem to be dancing to the same beat.
They don’t like pants or the colour blue
And few of them paddle their own canoe.
Is that what they want? Or is that what they learn?
When the time comes for me to go out into the world
I’ll be expected to travel the route of a predictable girl.
Look right, have a family, get paid less, accept a glass ceiling,
And smile about all of that no matter how I’m feeling.
It’s hard to spread your wings when you’re inside a cage.
But little girls who wear pink or not,
Deserve a better future than what we’ve got.
We need a change, we need to dream.
We need a promising future, however tough it may seem.
For that we have to choose the harder road, the bumpy lane.
So that girl who loved “boys” things,
Not dresses or rings,
Wants to grow up and follow her heart
And that starts now.
Courage, focus, belief, purpose — it starts now.
This is Matilda’s first poem posted to Alphabet Soup. If YOU would like to send us a book review, story or poem — check out our submission guidelines.
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