I wrote this poem when I overheard a mother say the first line of dialogue this summer. It was pretty striking, and caused me to wonder -- at what point is it acceptable to act like you are menstruating? What does menstruation imply about womanhood? I came to the conclusion that menstruation doesn't signify the change from girl to woman. Instead, girl and woman are not discrete, but continuous -- I believe that women carry girlhood and girls carry womanhood.

My mom is 51 and I am 16. She would be considered a woman, and I would be considered a girl. However, I don't think I am running to achieve the end goal of womanhood. I think I am running alongside my mom in a circuit. Here, I can pass her and she can pass me, but we are keeping pace. There is no start or end to this circuit -- the only marker is who we keep pace with.