A Good Little Girls Zine

Geometry of Mothers and Daughters

360°

The circle her arms make around my neck

Gripping with the never say die strength of a three year old

Point of intersection

Her nose just barely touching mine

We pause for an Eskimo kiss (“Inuit mommy,” she insists with spirit)

Perpendicular

Her legs fly outward as I spin her around and around

I start to lose my balance responding to her demand of  “Faster, faster!”



45°

The angle her arms make standing akimbo

Hands on hips, eyes rolling with disgust at my decisions

Slope of -1

My arms stretched downward, hands together in an inverse prayer

Pleading my case, desperate for her understanding

Reflection

Both with one foot outward, determined to stand our ground

“Yes these shorts.” “ No, not those shorts.”



180°

The scars running across her legs, across her arms

Across her beautiful, tender stomach that I used to cover with kisses

Parallel

The lines repeat, one after another, I stop counting at  fifteen

Attempts to stop the pain, or create pain, neither of us really knows

Ellipses

The small white pills that seem to smooth the edges

Their curves return her softness



145°

The corner of her mouth rises, a half-grin, a secret grin

We catch each other’s eyes and share a moment

Symmetry

When I stretch towards her, she returns my reach

Our hugs last longer now, we know what we can be for each other

Obtuse

She is learning to extend instead of close, open instead of shut

I watch with joy and tell my own angles to soften

Picture of Helen Scanlon

Helen Scanlon

Helen Scanlon lives, works, and moms in Northern Virginia. Helen is a passionate educator who trades screens for trees, yoga and yarn when she can.

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