To grow is to change, to change is to grow
Old wives tales chanted in hypnotic melodies
Lullabies that once sung me to sleep
Now shrieking regrets, sweat spreading, body rising
To grow is to change, to change is to grow
Entering metamorphosis to fit ideals, who’s I don’t know
Wrapped in my cocoon I wait to be acceptable
My crawling limbs morphing into someone presentable
To grow is to accept, to accept is to grow
Can others love me if I replicate my past
Forced to be a project, an arc, a story fit for page
Struggle builds character, not googly eyes and glue
To grow is to accept, to accept is to grow
Seeds from my past planted below
No desire to trim leaves with the public’s shears
my planted soul growing, the same it’s been for years
Located in Hamilton, Ontario, Abbey Rain Hanson is a student at McMaster University, studying English & Cultural Studies and Theatre & Film. She has had the privilege of publishing both fiction and poetry with Arrival Magazine, Inventio, and Hamilton Arts & Letters Magazine. She finds passion in fiction, poetry and scriptwriting; particularly exploring topics of identity, coming of age narratives, and tales of female agency.