Written by Nila
I’m a girl,
and this was not my choice,
To buy the Barbie,
to wear pink,
to play with makeup
at the kitchen sink.
I’m a girl,
and this was not my choice,
To wear little skirts
that show my hem,
to learn how to sit,
just to look like them.
I’m a girl,
and this was not my choice
To make my world
shrink down to beauty,
to smile for pictures,
just to look so pretty.
I’m a girl,
and this was not my choice
When something awful happens
and they choose to blame
my clothes, my skirt and my skin,
instead of the one who hurt me
And that’s so lame.
I’m a girl,
and this was not my choice,
To be told
what I can be:
a doctor,
a boxer,
an astronaut,
a scientist,
a guitarist,
a CEO.
A mother.
A wife.
Or neither.
I’m a girl,
and this is my choice
I can be rich.
I can be kind.
I can change my body.
Or love it as it is.
I can be soft.
I can be strong.
I can say “NO”
Without any guilt.
I’m a girl,
and I refuse to choose
the life someone else
picked for me.
Because if I have a choice,
I want every girl
to have one too.
So I’ll fight for her voice.
I’ll fight for her choice.
I’m a girl.
And, “THIS IS MY CHOICE.”
.
Nila is a writer and poet from Tamil Nadu, studying Civil Engineering at NIT Tiruchirappalli. She writes in English and Tamil, often about love, memory, and growing up. Her work finds stories in ordinary moments and emotions left unsaid. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually chasing a new story, idea, or little adventure. Might be getting lost in travel or sharing stories with another soul with a big smile.