Growing Up
When I was growing up,
I played with cardboard boxes
and Crayola crayons
My hands and knees covered in dirt
and sand
When I was growing up,
I drew faces on rocks
and made lemonade stands
My face stained with strawberries
and watermelon
When I was growing up,
I painted pictures of my cat
and took pictures of my dog
My shirt covered in greens
and blues and reds
When I was growing up,
I played in the hay fields
and the woods
My legs laden with bruises
and scratches
When I was growing up,
I ran across the bridge
and looked for the troll named Edvig
My neck stretching
and my toes on their tips
When I was growing up,
I danced for hours
and convinced my cousins to join
My skirt swinging
and my spirits high
When I was growing up,
I was the first one in the water
and the last to get out
My fingers pruned
and my lips turned blue
When I was growing up,
I got hungry for Grandma’s sandwiches
and Sunday Night Popcorn
My stomach growling
and the phantom tastes on my tongue
When I was growing up,
I slid down the stairs in a bag
and thought I was going to die
My heart beating fast
and my lungs gasping for fresh air
When I was growing up,
I jumped on the trampoline
and played Dead Man with my cousins
My eyes closed
and my hands searching