it’s another girl, they said,
so i immediately thought of fire.

i thought of clenched fists and a lifetime of what-ifs
i thought of nervous glances and not taking chances.

i thought of a house filled with frilly dresses
and tights and messes

i thought of emotions
overflowing …

of dollhouses and tea parties
of clothing and fashion trends
of teasing and bullying
precious friendships lost and then true sisterhoods made.

i thought of growing up before you should.

i thought of a lot of things.

like how maybe boys would have been easier …

and how hard it is to be a woman.

i thought about body autonomy
about birth control
about marriage equality
about silencing and pay gaps
about the male gaze

but then i thought about me
about raising strong women
and how i will teach them that
“no” is a complete sentence.

i will teach them how to speak their mind
i will teach them to be fearless
to be an ally.

and i will teach them to read
to think
to dream
to achieve
to explore
to climb rocks and jump and play
to inspire

i will teach them
how to be an ember
that sets the world on fire.

written by kass mangione
03.11.24