For girls who aren't interested in being ladylike

for girls who speak too loudly with opinions too bold

and won't sit back down

For the girls who don't cross their legs

or sit up straight

we are the girls who have lost and hated

and loved and succeeded

and sat on our beds late at night crying ourselves into who we are today

we are the unbound

won't be tied back

can't be held down

flyaway hairs

untied shoelaces

the leaves flying off the trees as seasons change

dry leaves who grew into wildfires

we who will burn down everything in our paths

galaxies being born and then dying in a blaze of their own glory

my body is a temple

and this temple practices bimonthly ritual sacrifices

this temple's windows are stained with sin

and we stand at the altar

worshipping ourselves

living relics of the ancestors you burned

for barking too loudly

this is not a kennel

it's a forest

most species bare their teeth as a display of aggression

think of that next time you ask me to smile

my how big your teeth are

pretty enough to eat you with my dear

to swallow you up

and spit you out

because this is the wild

don't try and tame us

we are not meant to be collared and caged

women can't be house broken

taught to do what you want

we can't be split up into attractive bits

it is all dark meat

not meant for your consumption

claws can't be polished

fur cannot be hairsprayed into place

we are untucked

undone

and unashamed

we drag our kills into the house like a medal

and wear your insults around our necks

like prizes

first place for cunt

runner up for bitch

and honorable mention for slut

we are not your bitch

waiting to be bred

we are the bitch

and we will bite at the hand that feeds us

because lately this food has been tasting kind of stale

and we're tired of being fed the lie

that pretty is perfect

that we are ladies

no

we are the tramp

howling at the moon

and we don't care how many times you try to whistle at us

we don't respond to dog calls

treat a woman like a dog

and she'll piss on your shoes

because we are more than that

we are not ladies

we are wolves

and we’re hungry