Blue Hawaiian Punch tastes like..
Childhood memories and innocence
It's the color of bruises that litter my legs and arms at 6 years old
It’s Mom beating me with the belt and making me stand in the corner until my legs tremble
Because blue punch stains brown old carpets
The teachers must have assumed that like all 6 year old I play rough and get hurt innocently

Michelina’s Frozen Mac and Cheese tastes..
Cheap but cheesy and maybe frozen for a little too long
It also reminds me of racism and homophobia
When I made my first black friend who was 4 and I was 6
My Mom told me that he will get me into trouble and to stay away
When he fell off his bike my mom made him sound so alien I looked to see what color he bled

Apple Dapples, Cocoa Rice, Marshmallow Mateys, and 2% milk tastes like..
Sunday morning cartoons and waking up at 8 am
Dragging a chair over to the counter because I’m 6 and can’t see above it
And if I spill on the counter mom will spank me
It’s 8, 9, 10, 11, Noon. I want to play outside but Mom’s still asleep
So I go back to her room and shake her awake
“I want to go outside”
“Fine just go away”
I walk out the front door onto our screened porch littered with beer cans
Happy to play with my friends because at 6 I don’t think my life is any different from theirs

~Emma Rose