For the Little Girl Inside You
Leah-Joy Smith
When your tongue tastes the dirt of failure,
do you swallow rocks of fear?
When you’re told to quit, it’s just a hobby,
do you trade in your tools for a blazer?
When you smack the Great-Wall-of-Worry,
do you pull out grappling hooks or step away?
When he doesn’t write you back,
does anyone’s heart hear your tears?
When Skinny says you’re too much,
do you still have coffee with her?
When the semester is almost over,
the dryer quits again,
another bill is in the mailbox,
do you want to fill the tank and see it all in the rearview?
When your words are passed by like flowers in a median,
do your petals pull together, away from the sun?
When you feel like a lion without a pack,
do you keep company with Little Debbie and Rory Gilmore?
When you drop the eggs, lose your job,
do you point the boxing gloves at yourself?
When bitterness asks you to hold his hand,
leave him with the check.