#childhooddreams
I bought myself a tiara,
Along with a pair of shoes.
I twirl in front of my mirror,
My soles clear of dirt and dew.
But my eyes see a beautiful princess,
Ready to be swept off her feet,
To live a life of adventure,
To sing and do as she please,
To not be a normal woman,
But a Disney princess and beloved queen.
I put the tiara down, and step back,
Into mundane days of assignments,
Into grueling nights of deadlines,
Forgetting the hours spent,
Flipping through books of stories,
Flipping through Instagram stories,
Memorizing every line on every page,
Every line on every face.
Scrolling, thinking, worrying,
Laying on my bed, stowed away
In the deepest part, the highest tower,
Living under the watchful eyes of my mother,
My life forever gaslit by my father.
As they warn me of the many dangers,
My fire-breathing aunts and uncles,
I can only ever wonder,
When will my life begin?
Sep 13, 2023
Sep 13, 2023 at 2:53 PM UTC
*Big tree, giant bough with no leaves
Paper snakes crawling through the branches
Elephant chasing with no aim
White haired grandma laughing like a witch
Black shadow of a short human
Peeping in and out by the door
Sinking in a sea of sweat with fear
Opened my eyes for help
Realising safety lying amidst my mother and sister
Closed my eyes facilely with an innocent smile*
May 1, 2017
May 1, 2017 at 2:19 PM UTC
Do you remember the simple times?
No worries, no pain, just simple glories
Of building the tallest and largest building
Just made out of bricks of colorful pieces
Each one sticking to one another
Piling up by color and size
You would put on a smile filled with pride
Whenever you finished every brick
on top another
But what did you do when you left
and came back
then all you’ve built
was broken and gone?
“Don’t cry, child, it was only legos,
time for the real thing now.”
was what you were told.
“This time, child,
don’t make your dreams
out of lego bricks.”
a. gale
Aug 18, 2014
Aug 18, 2014 at 10:15 AM UTC