You halt and I go.
Much too fast, way too slow.
Confusion, like the
little train that could.
Giving, the tree that
told us it was good.
Macaroni Mornings,
a childhood routine.
An unfulfilled wish,
a risky trampoline.
Backyard dates,
Fabreeze cologne.
Faking you're asleep,
when we know you're on the phone.
Your name in cursive,
over and over.
Mutation by the sandbox,
a four-leaf clover.
Surround-sound mimicking
every line.
Sticky notes –
What's yours, what's mine.
Pyromaniacs with
exploding Roman candles.
Wheelbarrel rides,
loose grips on the handles.
Cardboard memory boxes,
six inches under.
The earth engulfing things,
a childhood wonder.
Long days,
jumping hugs.
Closet monsters
and lightning bugs.
I halt and you go.
Much too fast, way too slow.
Much too fast, way too slow.
Confusion, like the
little train that could.
Giving, the tree that
told us it was good.
Macaroni Mornings,
a childhood routine.
An unfulfilled wish,
a risky trampoline.
Backyard dates,
Fabreeze cologne.
Faking you're asleep,
when we know you're on the phone.
Your name in cursive,
over and over.
Mutation by the sandbox,
a four-leaf clover.
Surround-sound mimicking
every line.
Sticky notes –
What's yours, what's mine.
Pyromaniacs with
exploding Roman candles.
Wheelbarrel rides,
loose grips on the handles.
Cardboard memory boxes,
six inches under.
The earth engulfing things,
a childhood wonder.
Long days,
jumping hugs.
Closet monsters
and lightning bugs.
I halt and you go.
Much too fast, way too slow.
This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.



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