My mother doesn’t know me
She thinks she knows me
But she is wrong

She knows a girl
Strong and wise
Never faltering
Never stuttering
Never stopping
The girl she knows is a bee
Not a flower

She knows a girl
Who never backs down
Who looks at mountains and says,
“bet”
Who sometimes
And only sometimes
Lets out a little cry
When others are hurt
But never cries
For herself

She does not know the girl
Who hides her sadness
In a cloak of shame
and duty

She does not know the girl
Who sometimes
And more than sometimes
Cries
For herself
Or for no reason at all

She does not know the girl
Who feels like the bar is getting higher and higher
But is chained to the ground
And wishes she could fly

She does not know a girl
Small and scared
Never sure
Never confident
Never stopping
But running in circles

My mother doesn’t know me
Because she doesn't know herself