IceGalaxy

always carry your keys between your middle and ring finger 

never have your wallet visible 

don't listen to music in public 

everyone's a stranger 

you're our child; don't scare us. 

i always have been, ever since the label of

"gifted" was mantled above my head in neon letters, 

proudly displaying me to a world where

mediocrity was rejected &

maybe one day i'll see you

at a class reunion 20 years in the future

you'll have gotten taller than i am in heels

your hair will no longer be curled and bleached but

a lesbian couple on my bus home from school 

a man in a punk battle jacket on the street 

my mother's female CEO group chat blowing up 

four of my teachers taking the following day off 

the leaves are turning the color of your eyes again 

as they fall to the ground i take care not to step on them 

break their fragile spines, crack their delicate skin