Just A Girl by Jo Dearden

Might shave my head, might pierce my nose
It’s no big deal – skin heals, hair grows

Sitting pretty seems absurd
I think I should be seen AND heard

Illustration © 2016 Chris Riddell

Don’t tell me ‘shhhhh’, you know the score
A girl like me will always roar…

I got rainbows in these wide eyes
I got wonder in this heart
and when I speak
it’s poetry
and when I draw
it’s art

These wings I sling around my back
will help me find the things I lack

Sometimes I’ll soar, sometimes I’ll fall
a half-lived life’s no life at all

As smart and strong as boy or man
Can I kick it? 
You bet I can!

I got lightning in my brain cells
I got feelings in one tooth
and when I cry
it’s heartbreak
and when I think
it’s truth

Not long to wait ’til I am grown 
for new beginnings of my own

and all the things that I might be
I’m packed with possibility

My aim is true, ambitions high

I’m just a girl
​
Now watch me fly…

​Poem ©2016 Jo Dearden
Image ©2016 Chris Riddell

Illustration © 2016 Chris Riddell