The Stars
Posted: 15 Feb 2018, 17:36
I knew a girl with pigtails that gazed at the night sky with wonder. She dreamed of touching the stars. Yet, when she asked for a telescope for Christmas, she was handed a doll and told that space was not for girls.
I knew a teenage girl, she still dreamed of touching the stars. She would speak out to anyone who would listen, eyes filled with fire, questioning why? Why is it, that in the land of the free, jobs aren't for girls.
I knew a young adult that would gaze at the night sky and wonder why she wasn’t good enough. She was smart enough. She was brave enough. Had all the qualifications. But she was a woman, so they turned her away. Why did they express a need for more scientists, then claim science wasn't for girls?
I knew a mother who held her daughter close. She realized her dreams of touching the stars would never come true. She still looked to the night sky with wonder, pointing out the constellations to her child. When her daughter asked for a telescope for Christmas, she smiled, and said, "The stars are yours."
---
I knew an older woman who cheered when told her daughter would be going on a shuttle mission.
When her daughter returned, the woman asked,
“What are the stars like? Can you touch them? Were they yours?”
“Mom,”
The younger woman replied,
“The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter."
I knew a teenage girl, she still dreamed of touching the stars. She would speak out to anyone who would listen, eyes filled with fire, questioning why? Why is it, that in the land of the free, jobs aren't for girls.
I knew a young adult that would gaze at the night sky and wonder why she wasn’t good enough. She was smart enough. She was brave enough. Had all the qualifications. But she was a woman, so they turned her away. Why did they express a need for more scientists, then claim science wasn't for girls?
I knew a mother who held her daughter close. She realized her dreams of touching the stars would never come true. She still looked to the night sky with wonder, pointing out the constellations to her child. When her daughter asked for a telescope for Christmas, she smiled, and said, "The stars are yours."
---
I knew an older woman who cheered when told her daughter would be going on a shuttle mission.
When her daughter returned, the woman asked,
“What are the stars like? Can you touch them? Were they yours?”
“Mom,”
The younger woman replied,
“The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter."