Writing

she came up behind me one day & tapped me on the shoulder

i spun on my heel, unsteady, a dumb american consistently

ashamed of my language

she pointed at my face and drew a heart in the air with her thumbs

I don't read the Bible. I lie a lot, tell people I've read Genesis--can one even read Genesis? The beginning of things, written--but I've really just perused it.

i bought pumpkin pie lip balm that tasted like

fall in california

even though i'm in new hampshire

and the leaves are curling. 

the lights in sephora were sickly bright

like the lights

We,

The writers

The comedians

The storytellers

The artists.

We’re the ones who move forward.

We’re further than we were hundreds of years ago,

Yes,

But.

We’re not done.

I stare out of the car window, 

with my life anthem 

blasting in my ears, 

but not quite loud enough 

to drown out the sound 

of my dad talking to my cousin. 

I'm glad that you've reached this point in your life

I'm thrilled that you've gotten this far

I'm happy for you

Watching you grow "up" into someone who has a steady foundation in their life