editor’s note, via a reader: “That line “girls with messy hair and thirsty hearts” is from Jodi Lynn Anderson’s YA novel, Tiger Lily.

Here’s to the girls with messy hair and thirsty hearts

We don’t feel apprehensive without makeup
We let our skin breathe
In fact, we would rather be naked

We know our scars and stretch marks define us
And if you throw us a cat call from your car window
Our first instinct is to give you the middle finger

We don’t bleach our hair
Or use machines to tan our skin
We rely on the sun to work its magic on our bodies

We have hobbies

We believe everything we do is an art form

We sing, paint, read and write
We let our fingers callus from our instruments, and then we admire the texture

We embrace our inner ruggedness, and make it appear feminine
We don’t hide indoors from the earthly elements
We embrace them

Letting fire warm our bodies down to our souls
We let the wind dry our hair after soaking in the rain
We jump in puddles
We sit by campfires until the smoke burns our eyes
And we enjoy the smell of our smoke stained clothes

We enjoy smoke. Some of us find it symbolic

We lay under the stars not just to admire the beauty of them
But also to recognize that we are made of them.

We drink whiskey from wine glasses and wine from the bottle
We tell dirty jokes
But we are not prejudiced

Our hearts are not made of gold
But of steel and soil because we are strong and grounded

We wear our hearts on our sleeves
We use metaphors to describe our feelings
And we are damn proud that we feel with such enthusiasm

We are intuitive, borderline psychics
Our libidos and emotions are connected
And when we fall in love, the earth shakes

We don’t allow others to protect us
But when we do, it’s an extraordinary bond
A union with its own definition
If we find one toxic, we cut them out without question

We are empowered by women alike.

*

Relephant Reads:

This is for the Women who Don’t Give a F*ck 

How to Love a Girl Who Doesn’t Know how to be Loved

Date a Woman Who Knows Everything (& Nothing)

Love elephant and want to go steady?

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Apprentice Editor: Chrissy Tustison / Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Michael Benz/Unsplash; Flickr