Twentieth birthday

Today is my last day as a teenager.
I can't say that I spent it feeling particularly teenagerish.
I ate some jellybeans,
Worked in my garden,
Played with my little brother,
Cleaned the living room,
Sewed some doll clothes,
And made coleslaw for the first time.
But today is the last official day of the two decade long incubation period known as growing up.
Tomorrow I emerge in my full glory as an "adult,"
I won't be able to say, "what can you expect? I'm a teenager" anymore.
It's weird that a whole period of my life, one that I certainly don't feel like I'm done with, can be proclaimed DONE just like that. I don't FEEL like an adult. I feel young, and immature, and like there's still so much I need to know.

Pistachio pudding

Soft spring green substance
Swirls smoothly on my scintillated tongue.
Elusive traces of exotic fragrance
Humble dessert, a hero unsung.

Waiting for words

When the winds come and the leaves fall
I stand under the willows and wait.
And the water rolls past
My seat of green grass
Where I grow words and the hour grows late.

March at the lake with a toddler

Wet clay clinging to your little shoes, making you lift them comically.
Wind snatching at my flannel shirt, the sleeves rolled up, and the tails tied to fit you.
Your little fleece Elmer Fudd hat, firmly velcroed under your chin.
The great blue-green lake, the bright blue sky, and your grey-blue eyes.
One spring chilled nose bright red against a pale young face.
Hands lifted up in balancing straightness, echoing the wideness of your smile.

Square peg

Do you want to be my friend?
I promise I will try to fit in.
I will make my free spirit bend
To your strange ideals.


Dedicated to Ev

Liking

I am full of lovely butterflies,
Each one a happy thought.
They twirl and swirl, and flutter, fly,
They make my face grow hot.

Insomnia

Tantalizing tidbits
Thinking
Sleepless nights