Morning Girl

Content Warning: This section includes discussions of colonization and miscarriage.

The chapter opens with Morning Girl introducing herself, explaining that her name comes from her love of waking up early. She never fully relaxes in her dreams and wakes up ready to “sift the ideas that have come to me in the night and decide which one to follow first” (2). She enjoys the solitude of the morning. She walks around quietly so she won’t wake anyone. She’s tried to convince her brother to wake up early, but he prefers nighttime, especially when there’s no moon. For him, “night is day, sleep is awake” (3). Morning Girl wonders how they became so different, as they rarely see each other due to their opposite schedules. Her mother assures her that one day she and her brother will be friends, but Morning Girl disagrees. She believes that her brother hides his true self from their mother.

On this morning, just before dawn, Morning Girl finds her brother sitting on the edge of her mat. When she asks what’s wrong, he says that everything is fine, and she is always complaining. Frustrated, Morning Girl gets up and leaves. She reflects on how the day seems to welcome her with endless possibilities: she could run, walk, climb, or swim.