I look at the pictures
I see
afro puff pigtails: her innocence, her take-over-the-world attitude
tucked in some overall denim blues and Reebok classic shoes
a little black girl in her own little black girl world
she is confident
she is fearless
she is loved
but time has passed and so has she
rest In peace little black girl
rest eternally
I look at the woman before me
I see
her weary big brown eyes with lines
aged with disappointment and distrust
her too tight dress because tight isn’t tight enough
her half smile, her crooked mask
so crooked, it’s falling
she’s falling
fast
she is vulnerable
she is doubtful
but she is still loved
the mirror uncovers the lies
she tries and she tries
to cover up
but her dress is too small and her mask
too big
unveiling for all to see
the things she wish she could’ve hid
she longs for her
the little girl
the little kid
and her Afro puff pigtail attitude
as her mind suffocates from her grown lady wig
oh how we play pretend
when the grown woman wants to be a little girl again
this grown woman, playing with real life and make-up and men
can’t wait to grow up and be a kid
again