they are all legs these girls
long legs and arms concocted of brown skin and barely kempt ponytails
they walk in one lanky line
arms swinging
swaddled in winter's clothes
hooded eyes simmer with old souls and tomorrow's promise
inside their heads beat their generation's be-bop
beating hip hop
designing their stroll into well choreographed dances
they are ballerinas in urban settings
side stepping and jumping obstacles

these girls carry in backpacks parcels of unsure futures and prideful pasts
mother's love covering beating hearts
they seem to cry out for hugs and shout for space all in one fell swoop

these girls are both childlike
and brimming with maturity beyond their years and well out of their grasps
and the years seem to move too fast
these girls stroll in one lanky line
one by one
into a world where they are both the victor and the victim
both the cause and the cure for what ails them

they are fire these girls
the girls i wanted to be when i was young
the girls i worry for now
these girls walked past me
trailing the future behind them like banners...