[ hoops ] [ gloss ] [ womb ] [ loss ]

Each empty bracket [ ] is a rite of passage into womanhood for Black girls. The first two rites of passage are identity affirming rituals: receiving her first set of door knocker hoop earrings or putting on lip gloss for the first time. The second two rites of passage are created from the pain of growing up in misogynoir and navigating through adultification, sexual violence, and communal harm. The reader decides which words to put in the [ ] sections, determining the poem's direction which rites they want Black girls to pursue. The reader's choice determines the meaning and direction of the poem. The poem stares point blank at the reader. Word omission is the reflective tool exposing the reader to their inhumane perceptions of Black girls and women and the ways the reader's justifications fuel the many forms of violence done to Black girls and Black women. To view the original version of this poem, see the supplemental material section of this article online.