When I turned ten, I knew
The world was mine
With the
Sparkling, dew-kissed branches
And hazy,
Laughter-warmed nights.

When I turned fourteen, I thought
The world would be handed
To me.
The high confidence eyes and
Brand name cell phones
Telling
Me what was what and
Who
I was.

When I turned twenty, I knew
The world never could be
Mine. I
Lost myself
In the cubicles and textbooks
That were written
And built with
The names
Of the mighty
Shadows
Under whom I’d
Always live.


When I turned twenty-six,
I was married.
And the world became mine again.


When I turned twenty-seven,
The world turned too.
And closed the palms
That held my childhood.
Sealed the lids that had watched
Over my adolescence.
Re-opened the mouth that echoed
My nothingness.
And left me to sit here and
Despair at the odds
Of your eyes opening
Again.