little girl with the cherry in her mouth,
i feel sorry for you and your big brown eyes.

little girl with the brown sandals
and hair so messy
it could be a wasp's nest -
i swallow my regret because i know,
i know you are enough.

little girl,
you with the skip in your step,
and skinned knees
and ugly birthmark on the back of your leg
and big - fat - ugly - nose
and hairy eyebrows,
you are braver than i am.

your soul has a piece of the sunrise
that i witnessed this morning
and it has the same sound
as the wind i hear howling outside my window at night.

little girl, what you are on the inside
will never die -
cherish it well,
it has more meaning than you could believe.