Girl
by Elani Spencer
She often forgets that
there are galaxies in her eyes,
shooting stars soaring across her irises,
comets burning fiery red in her pupils.
That she is suspended in time and space,
holding the secrets of the world
in outstretched palms, constellations
swirling and shifting between her fingertips.
That she is the tether between the past
and the present,
the heart at the center of the world.
Girl, the crushing weight
of gravity cannot hold you down
Girl, the consuming black holes
of their mouths cannot extinguish your light
She often forgets that
there are pieces of her ancestors
woven in her eyes, her smile,
every coil in her hair.
That she is descended
from kings and queens,
that her power stretches beyond
the boundaries of this universe,
beyond the expanse of her imagination,
her self-doubt.
She often forgets that
she is the spark of every revolution,
the ender of internal battles,
that she is the visionary,
the guiding hand that can lead,
a fist that can strike back
Girl, your voice can create earthquakes
that will shatter the fragments of reality
Girl, your spirit can breathe life
into the battered and bruised
Girl, your might can bring kings
to their knees and crumple hierarchies
She often forgets that
her body needs more than fuel,
it deserves to be loved,
to be embraced for its scars, rough edges
and brewing storms
She often forgets that
her worth is not determined
by the opinions of others,
that all she needs
is already within her,
that she is not alone
that here on this bridge with her sisters,
together
between stardust and clay
she can summon a new day
Muse Mosaics 