Look at that little girl.
Her eyes, the same shining
As polished marbles
And her skin as complicated
As rotting tree bark.
She does not know
How to grow.
And so her bones creak
To show how
Even when trapped
In a stunted youth,
Her own ivory
Is cracked and flawed
And used, worn down
From the generations
Of backaches
Her soul carries.
Gospel hymns sung by the river
Now leak through her
In christened tears.
The salt water she drank then,
Is the salt water she
Releases now.
There is no wonder
Why her vessel is believed
To be crafted of magic.
A walking home to
Every shining soul
Of little girls
Who cannot grow.
Tiffany Hudgins is a 29 yr old Black femme creative from Los Angeles, Ca. She’s been writing poems since the third grade and uses poetry as a way of connecting with both herself and with the world around her. Using every day to improve and develop her voice as a writer, Hudgins hopes her creative journey inspires others to follow their paths as well.