Jellyfish
Five little fingers frantically spread across the glass
As jellyfish floated languidly in front of me,
I reached for the exotic world of swirling water and changing color.
My four-year-old brain started to yearn for something
It couldn't even understand
Freedom, perhaps? Does such a concept exist to children so young?
My stupor was broken by a zoo volunteer tapping on my shoulder
For the first time, I noticed my mother had walked off without me
Mom, where? Mom, where?
My voice had been buried by an overabundance of synapses
Something else that had gone wrong in my brain, she had said,
Just the day before, not knowing that I had heard her
Or that I had understood every word
The volunteer took me to her
Distracted by six other kids, she hadn't even noticed I was missing
Arms encircled me, but not my mother's
No, rather, the arms of the double stroller hugged me tight
Forcing me into a space that suddenly felt way too small
I tugged on the buckle, a silent plea. She said I was staying put.
I couldn't even ask her to go back, trapped by an inability to talk
I had gotten the smallest taste of freedom
So, like a fairy-tale hero longing for adventure
I almost wished to be lost again,
Captured by the slow dance of the jellyfish
YOU ARE READING
My Poetry
PoetryOne day, a girl was given an assignment in English class. She had to write three odes, three haikus, and three free verse. She had only written her first three odes, when she was told they were too long, and she had to start over. She wasn't sure wh...
