When I was a little girl
Growing up in Lanford,
I shot marbles with the boys
And sometimes when I knelt down
I dirtied the skirt of my dress.

My mother would scold me.
But do you know what an aggie is?
Have you ever read King Lear
By William Shakespeare?
Have you wandered on a heath
Or prairie or playground
When the sky is getting dark
And you are alone?

Where can I turn?
When I was a little girl
Growing up in a house
That had a big front porch
I used to sit on the steps
And razz the boys.

I had a tongue then
Before I got so old.
Have you ever read King Lear?
Our house was going to be torn down.
I was a little girl.

Where can I turn?
The king asks in King Lear.
He is out of his head with grief.
Once he was one of the boys
Who teased me for wanting
To shoot marbles.

I was good at it
And if I unclenched my hand
You could see the aggie
I am holding.
I need it, however.
I am on the heath.
The sky is dark. I am
A little girl. I hear many voices.
They want to leave me
But I won’t let them.