Kayla Czaga
"gertrude stein loves a girl"

one – a girl

When she walks on the hopscotch, o yes,
a girl lights up.  A girl is a gain, again
and she jumps, o yes, lights up.  A girl is
a lips, a blip topped with blonde frizz,
jumping.  A twaddle in chips.  A bright  
bit of a trip.  A girl in stirrups is a sugar,
a spice and everything burning nice.
A girl’s burning earlobes, when she hears
me, o yes, she is a bounce and a going. 

two – a two of girls

A girl will sometimes pair, hold hands, skip
and be a horse, play house.  A girl will share.
A girl will love another little girl if she is
Amanda and little and brown and lucky.  A two
of girls is as cruel as exclusive.  A two of girls
wrestles and throws each other from windows.
A two of girls plays Nintendo together and plays
Nintendo together and plays Nintendo together. 
A two is two different girls, girls, girls.  A two
of girls yells at their mothers for each other. 
A two of girls sleeps over and over.  A two of
girls stomps and cries and hates her and phones
her afterwards for a come over later.

three – never woman

A girl never wants to woman.  A girl is kicked
and killed in wild, howling womanhood. 
Jealousy is lousy and beginning to look
womanish, moustached.  Jealousy is without
tricks.  Nail polish picked at, recklessly chipped. 
Girls win and are not jealous. Girls never exhibit
green edges.  Girls are not greedy but always
given in to.  A toonie for her Saturday wants
and frills and flounces.  O yes and thank you!
Jealousy is the stick of an ugly girl, a surly girl
with hairy forearms.  A girl turns another girl
womanish to stay small and wanted and win.

four – a girl by her mother

In picked outfits, she is crossed legs and lilies. She is mine
and mimes swell.  A girl is given dolls to mirror or she is
a far fat turkey.  She does so for she is a fine yes, fair Sunday.
She is a frequent purge, toilet bowler.  So slim and isn’t it
just so.  Isn’t it just so.  A little bit with limbs, she is, she’s
slim and isn’t it just so.  She wipes her lips on damp dish cloths. 
She sits.  She sips her bright pink fingers.  Slips into smart
short haircuts, yes, she does so, and does herself up just so. 

five – girls and men and want

How many sweet sinisters turn into spinsters
over men; how many men are in little girls
blessed with elbows and bellybuttons; how
many lips pucker into bloodblisters; how men
hold their shoulders slowly, hold little girls’
slow shoulders; how little girls like strawberry
yogurt and men; how little girls want wrong
men, men with audible problems, men
with holes, men without homes or usable
pockets; how with welted red want; how
little girls want and want to fix them.