"Blue"
“Blue”
By Sophie Burchill
I remember,
When I was younger,
One Halloween,
I wanted to be a cowboy.
Not a cowgirl,
No, I didn’t want
To be girly.
I didn’t want to wear a pink hat.
I preferred trucks
Over dolls
And army men
Over princesses.
I hated wearing
Dresses to church
And tights,
And even shoes with a little lift.
I felt uncomfortable
Playing ‘house’
With girls;
Taking turns giving each other braids.
I didn’t enjoy
Talking about ‘cute’ boys
I’d rather play with
‘Boyish’ marketed toys.
As I’ve gotten older,
I’ve been able to make
My own choices
Which is great.
I cut my hair short,
Changed my wardrobe,
Gotten into engineering and technology,
Started playing the trumpet.
“What’s it like to be in a male-dominated…?”
No matter how that question
Ends, I have always felt
Comfortable.
I feel like myself
I don’t feel like a woman
In a male-dominated
Environment.
I feel like a person
Working with people
Towards a common,
Challenging goal.
If my parents ever had
A gender-reveal party,
I would’ve wanted them
To reveal me with the color
Blue.
And instead of saying,
“It’s a boy.”
They’d say.
“Her name is Sophie. And she’s our little cowboy.”