"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.”