When you grow up:

You realize that "love"
isn't mommy and daddy
kissing each other before work
Because they don't anymore.
And you fell in love
but the boy spit on your face
then slid down the slide.

You realize that a heart
isn't just a Valentine's Day card,
but it pumps blood through your body.
And it keeps you alive,
but lots of people die
because their hearts break.
And that boy
who pulls on your "heart strings"
isn't pulling on anything at all.
Because "heart strings"
are found in heart cavities
and he only wanted you to put out.


You learn
the concentration gradient from lungs to blood
is the reason you can breathe in oxygen
and breathe out carbon dioxide.
The pretty tan you get from the sun
is actually radiation poisoning your skin cells.
The contents of your abdomen,
and the functions of your organs.
The pH of your blood
and the buffers that help maintain
homeostasis.

Welcome to the world.