T. C. Kemper
Original Poem: You'll See
You’ll see,
They said
When you grow up,
How dark
and cold the world is
You’ll see,
They said
When you journey out,
How lost
the average girl is
You’ll see,
They said,
You’re young and weak,
You’ll race
home seeking solace
You’ll see,
Dear child,
You don’t have it in you,
You lack
the strength, the polish
And so I grew
And so I journeyed
The whole of Earth
caught in my hair
And so I learned
And so I drifted
My pink fingertips
tracing the air
And when I did
Find my way home
Its lands
ice-burnt, surprising
It wasn’t the place
I’d left long ago
Full of
doubtful voices rising
I saw,
I said
I saw it all
And found warmth
in unexpected places
I saw,
I said,
I saw the moon
Crest on new
and loving faces
I saw,
I said,
How others knew me
Once I broke
These gilded chains
Free
Of all
the untrue things
You cast upon
My wandering name
You lied,
I said,
About my strength
And just how
cold the world is
You’ll see,
I said,
One day, perhaps
Just how
bold my soul is
