By scqueen
Date: 9 April 2001
Growing Up
Thinking back to my childhood,
it was inevitable that I would
grow up to be a hopeless romantic.
I am still the little girl who
played in the creek,
squished green moss between my toes,
dodged cottonmouths and copperheads,
caught honey bees in a mason jar.
Mouthed off at the neighborhood boys,
wrapped my fingers around
lightning bugs and locusts shells,
rode my bike down the steepest hill,
ran in the streets at midnight
with a netted citronella candle in hand,
dressed in evening gowns and klunky shoes
from my best friend's cedar closet,
we looked like Coppertone babies
when we danced in the rain
had picnics in the wet grass.
Went skinny dipping at the pool
well after dark -
grabbed buckets of stray golf balls
that weren't ours for the taking.
Climbed on the roof
just for the view,
made crowns from clover flowers
and ate boiled peanuts until
our stomachs ached.
I could go on...
But for now,
I think I'll just roll down the hill
and wait for the grass to stop
itching me.
Back to the Heart-on-Sleeve Corner