Maturity

I remember how it felt to be young Hiding a pimple beneath a privacy fence Built from a hand raised across the cheek Guarding the mark that seemed to bare a resemblance To sin, silent and soiled, sending a reflection The disgusting, nasty symbol of youth I remember working my first job And feeling sure there had to be some other Way to make the money that I needed For the movies, popcorn and York peppermint patties Served with a coke that would have more ice Than it needed, leaving my tongue in a deep freeze I remember longing for the day when I could say That I was eighteen and capable of doing Whatever I pleased, anything that I chose to Even if that meant leaving behind a teddy bear A pair of roller skates and a basketball Pieces of my childhood that I would miss one day I remember knowing that my mom had prayed For my happiness and my hopefulness For the moment when I would fall in love for real With someone who loved me back in a way That foretold of a future filled with affection The kind that love stories were written about I remember the first kiss, the first date, the first “I love you” that was whispered The way it felt to know I was pretty to someone Even if I didn’t feel pretty when I looked into a mirror The moment when I realized that feelings like these Were wonders, wonderful, wondrous, genuine miracles I remember how it felt back then What I can’t remember or tell you about Is the moment when I became a woman Instead of a girl, a woman who knows love Pain, hope, desperation and worry and fear No… I don’t remember when I became mature Feb. 15, 2021