In a public bathroom
a dark-skinned little girl
exits one of the stalls.
Her beaded braids are many,
her big, sad eyes a brown abyss.
Her right thumb and forefinger
pinch her earlobe, as the rest
of her little fingers cling tightly
to a dirty, over-used blanket.
Her left thumb is sucked deep
into her large-lipped mouth as
the index finger is wrapped
around her little nose.
We made eye contact
briefly in 1964. |
Submission Name: Insecure
