𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

At Least

Dancing in a sparkly purple dress
though I never did get a solo

Green shirts at an amusement park
biggest smiles you'll ever see
the sun beats down hard
but we like how it glints off our trophies

Two birds, two detectives
a mean girl, and a queen
were a few different things
I pretended to be

99-cent ice cream cones
In 100-degree heat

A poem I hastily scribbled
in the back of a notebook
couldn't tell you what it means

Four friends huddled on a bus seat
a jacket draped over us for warmth

No thank you, real-world
I'd rather stay masked
hidden behind a book

Neon green
we called him highlighter
Our laughter made the world seem brighter

Wood against my chest
Pizza, spring breezes, and sled races
a room full of memories
Every Friday, nothing.

A long blue dress
velvet and Shakespeare
The posture kind of hurt my back

The sharp scent of bleach and hair dye
Trying to find out who I was
Bright colors ward off predators

Bright orange secret
bad writing but
I still got compliments

Essays after midnight
a paper rollercoaster
I should be better at turning in assignments

Walking to my friend's house
with bare feet
the sidewalk burns but
Shoes were for peasants back then

Looking back I wonder
how I didn't get trampled
But there were good memories
A few, at least.
September 2023