The girl with nail polish like stars

The girls drum their fingernails

Lightly

Not like real drumming

More like timid rain.

Their nails extend

Two nail lengths past

The end of their nail

Shiny white

Shiny pink

Shiny red if they’re feeling

Different.

They tap like timid rain 

On their desks

On their chins

On their travel mugs

Timid

Rain

Pat

Pat

Tap.

But the ones I love

Are the ones who come into school

Holding school breakfast

Their nail polish is stars on their nails.

It’s five days since the perfect polish turned

To broken pieces

Now they’ve been stars

Since I can remember

And they’re little magenta dots

All over her nails

And she hasn’t taken them off yet

And I love her for her stars.