My jaw has shifted, face now square-ish instead of round
The sporadic silver strands that used to shock people when noticed, now frame my hairline
Breasts once small cones that barely needed a bra, now large womanly teardrops–
Hips wider, chin hairs starting to gray even
Age
My age
gently emerges and with each shift I notice a woman,
who–despite all the “musts” her culture and society handcuffed her with,
chooses to be herself
After all isn’t that the American Dream?
Sonia Chintha is an Indian American writer who lives in the Washington DC area. She blogs, writes poetry, and fiction. She is also an English teacher who believes that our experiences teach us more than any test. She is the founder and co-editor of Good Little Girls.
Illustration by Jill Kimura Written by Sonia Chintha Edited by Andrea Nevin & Parivash Fahim Goff There is a pinkish-purple mark on the outside where
The Birth of No: I declare No two letters one giant word some days standing in front of guilt, fear Other days standing free I