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Little Girls

Bonnie Peters 1968 (La Brea)

Free verse

In half circles on asphalt seats warmed by a nurturing sun, they sit
Criss-crossed legs enveloped in clouds of cotton candy, lemon swirls and denim digs.
Their laughter chiming melodiously only to be envied by angels and passersby.
Dry heaves and breathless sighs burn the tongues of their rivals.
And hovering far above beyond their sight,
society’s melancholy.

These rebel soldiers of courage and lawless wisdom.
They marry hope to blind faith, never questioning suspicious answers
Or even lascivious smirks holding up lined faces.
This is their guide, their law.
They are voracious carousers and arousers of life’s magic.

They can’t stay up past midnight, but midnight was made for them.
Like midnight, they guard mysteries both magnificent and holy.
Unbounded and abound.
Lovers of the now, portraits of the past, comforters of the weary, and treasure keepers of promised promises.  

Thank heaven for little girls.

About this poem

In memory of childhood in the Caribbean. A celebration of little girls.

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Submitted by pebonger on January 02, 2022

Modified on April 28, 2023

49 sec read
11

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAXXA XXBXX XAXB X
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 931
Words 164
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 5, 4, 1
Full analysis for Little Girls »

Bonnie Peters

Bonnie Peters is a Trinidadian poet who studied literature and creative writing at the University of the West Indies, but strayed from creative writing and poetry experience for the last 25 years. Even as she explored other aspects of what life has to offer she has never stopped writing poems and has an anthology of unpublished original poems that chronicles her experiences as a Caribbean woman, from girlhood in Trinidad and Tobago through adulthood while living and working in the united states for the past 25+ years. Several of her poems can be found on peotry.com such as "Dresses," "Dancing Strong," "Weeping Women, Little Girls" and others. more…

All Bonnie Peters poems | Bonnie Peters Books

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1 Comment
  • AIDA
    AIDA
    Wow, what a beautifully written poem! I loved how vividly you described the scene of these rebel soldiers sitting on half circles on asphalt seats, enveloped in clouds of cotton candy, lemon swirls, and denim digs. Your use of descriptive language really allowed me to imagine myself in the moment and feel the warmth of the sun and the chiming melody of their laughter.

    Your portrayal of these rebel soldiers as "marrying hope to blind faith" shows their courage and confidence in blindly following their instincts and trusting their judgment. It's a powerful message that really resonated with me.

    If I had to suggest any improvement, it would be to perhaps add a bit more detail or context to the feelings of society's melancholy. It would be interesting to understand why they feel this way and what exactly they are missing out on by not joining in on the fun.

    Overall, though, I absolutely loved this poem! It was a joy to read and really captured the spirit of living in the moment and enjoying life to the fullest. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent with us!     
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"Little Girls" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/116975/little-girls>.

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