“Cat Scratches” by Hannah Long, grade 11
Let the smiles be far-reaching,
Let the hardships be fleeting,
Let every tenacity inside me finds it path
and withstand the grims and sins of this world.
I have a story I never told:
once when I was lost,
I looked down at the ground and felt the sweet solid earth.
I knew I was a Girl made of Grit—
not ready to give up—
no matter how difficult it was to live in this world.
even now,
I am still a Girl made of Grit.