'I am not sugar and spice and everything nice' Poem penned by third grader about the realities of being a girl goes viral

'I will not be eaten'

A touching poem about the realities of being a woman allegedly penned by a eight year old has gone viral on social media.

The Internet can be a black hole filled with plenty of negativity sometimes, but every now and again and glimpse of light shines in.

The latest example is a beautiful poem which describes what it's like being a woman, which has allegedly been penned by a third grader.

The touching piece of art, entitled 'The True Feminine', first came to light when it was tweeted by Arabelle Sicardi, a Taiwanese American writer, but it quickly got the attention of many other users who were moved by the girl's words.

Sharing a picture of the poem, Arabele tweeted: 'apparently a 3rd grader wrote this. go off, gen z sylvia plath'.

See more

'I am not sugar and spice and everything nice. I am music, I am art, I am a story,' the poem reads.

'I am a church bell, gonging out wrongs and rights and normal nights. I was a baby. I was a child. I will be a mother.'

The most striking verses come at the end, however, when the writer distinguishes between having their beauty appreciated and objectified, before declaring she will 'not be eaten'.

'I don't mind being considered beautiful, I do not allow that to be my definition. I am a rich pie strong with knowledge. I will not be eaten.'

The poem seems to have been written by a third grader in the US, which would mean she is aged between eight and nine years old.

No one seems to know the true identity of the mysterious author, and even Arabelle, who was the first one to share the poem, admits it could be fake.

'If it ends up being Fake News guess what... *whispers* leave me alone it's been a bad day,' she tweeted after sharing the picture.

Some people doubted the authenticity of the post, with one saying: 'I call fake. A third grader would not think of themselves as "child", nor will have the perspective to arc to motherhood. I say mum wrote it'.

But others argued: 'I disagree completely. A third grader can know if she wants to be a mother, 100%.

Another added: 'Yes. My daughter knows she wants to be a drummer...why could she not know she also wants to be a mother at 8 years old?'

Do you think this poem could have been written by an eight-year-old? Let us know in the comments!

GoodtoKnow

Trusted, informative, and empathetic – GoodToKnow is the ultimate online destination for mums. Established in 2007, our 15-year-strong archive of content includes more than 18,000 articles, 1,500 how-to videos, and 7,000 recipes.