I know a girl who can’t see out of her right eye

and doesn’t seem to mind. I know a girl who hides 

behind her hair. I know a girl who fashions poems

out of matches. I know a girl who has been planning

her wedding since she was eight. I know a girl 

who hasn’t seen her father in six years. I know a girl 

who had a baby and won’t answer the phone 

on Thursdays. I know a girl who doesn’t eat 

because her mother is still telling her how to chew. 

I know a girl who kisses with her eyes open. 

I know a girl that got on a train and never came back. 

I know a girl who tried to burn a church down 

because they told her there is only one right way 

to love. I know a girl who doesn’t lock her doors 

at night. I know a girl who played hide and seek 

for two years and had to come out because 

everyone else stopped playing. I know a girl 

who is getting older and broke all the mirrors 

in her house. I know a girl who has forgotten 

how to sleep alone. I know a girl who tried to be

important, and then gave up. I know a girl who 

will become a statistic, a problem to solve. 

I know a girl who will read this and then forget 

that she read it.

— Kristina Haynes, “I Know a Girl”