A Girl Can Dream

Dandelions

Birthday candles

Shooting stars

Just a few examples

With these things

A girl can dream

What can it hurt?

But that’s the thing

A girl can dream 

That’s so easy to say

But with those words

Some things slip away

A girl can dream

It often ends there

Throw it up to the universe

We’ll play it by ear

A girl can dream

It’s said so often

With a tone so unserious

Making those dreams fleeting, small

And stacking the odds against us

‘cause girls just dream of ponies, right? 

Girls just dream of magic 

Girls just dream of butterflies, just rainbows? 

To believe that would be tragic 

I’ll give you a hint

It’s actually so much more

They may even not know it, but 

The dreams of little girls

Are the quietest door

The dreamer of a pony

Is a girl who wants a friend

She’s someone who cares, who nurtures

And has love to give with no end 

You think she’s just collecting seashells?

Really, she’s mapping oceans

No, not the seven seas

But currents in the art of mindfulness and emotion 

Emotions like sentimentality

Discovery, loss, responsibility, and control

For with each shell she’s gathered

She learns about herself that much more

Tea parties become tables

Where everyone feels welcome

A hostess to the dreams of others

Becomes a channel of wisdom 

Pouring the best invisible tea in town

takes more than imagination

Because this hostess is also practicing 

The art of delegation

Mr Bear has set the table

Charmander brought snacks

Llewellyn Llamma had to be seated on the other side

Just to avoid any bear attacks 

It’s easy to mistake sparkle 

As frivolity, decoration, or cheap delight

When it might just be 

That she actually dreams

of catching the light 

by taking something’s shine

And giving it purpose

She’s given it meaning

She’s turned it into magic

It’s become something that moves us.

Playing dress up is more than cute outfits

Not just asking what shoes that dress might need

The crown she bestows upon herself

Is also self-permission to lead

The ballerina shoes she wears

don’t just match the tutu

Her spins, leaps, and delicate steps

Show the courage it takes to learn something new

The notebooks she scribbles in 

Though she hasn’t yet learned to write

Are more than colored markings she made

On a page of black and white 

They’re the stories she’ll tell

For some reason they just feel right

Because something deep within already knows

Writing brings joy to her life

So yes, a girl can dream

Collect, dance, dress-up, sing out loud

And if you’re lucky enough to see it

Take a look around

Yes, you’ll find magic, color, and sparkle abound

But often the dreams of little girls

Enrich the lives of everyone else around 

Because when a girl becomes a woman

Who is safe to discover and be herself

She has effects on others in ways unseen

So seamless, with such stealth

These girls grow to support others

They comfort, unite, and inspire

They notice the best in you

And turn out to be the ones that light the fire

Not always in big ways 

Sometimes it’s slow and gentle

But when life feels like darkness

These girls become the candle

The light to guide us home

To bring us to ourselves

In building our communities

In ensuring values are upheld

So yes, a girl can dream

But she can run with it too

I know because I did

By scribbling in a storybook or two

Did my dad catch me? Absolutely, yes.

I thought I was in trouble 

Until my parents got me a notebook 

Then another 

Then a couple

Now here I am

A girl who dreamed

Reading my words to all of you

Because a girl can not only dream

But she can make those dreams come true.