BY GABRIELLE GAYLEAs I sit in my bedroom counting down the days until my 16th birthday The walls start to peel The blue paint drips down racing each other The wall decaying in front of me In kindergarten my best friend and I Make plans of our sweet 16’s I had decided then and there my perfect party The image in my mind still clear to this day When the walls start to peel I see myself in a pink dress About to cut perfect cake untouched I see the party the five year old had wanted But then the walls begin to build itself back again In elementary school I had planned everything I could have imagined I would be smart and pretty with friends My parents would trust me Because when you’re good you receive good The walls start to peel and I see myself again In the same pink dress and at the same party With friends this time and the same cake And there is a slice missing this time But when I turn to ask about it the paint stops dripping The walls form again In middle school we used to run when we saw older kids Too intimidating for us to approach I still have not figured out if it was the kids themselves Or the realization of growing up that scared us An image forms once again A birthday cake and me and friends But this time two slices are missing And the walls are still peeling This time they do not stop The image falls and a pile of liquid is in front of me Mixed with the colors of my dreams As I sit on my bed I had asked my mom if I can bake my birthday cake this year A strawberry shortcake but I’ve yet to pick the recipe And as I stare at the goop in front of me I see the cake With the third slice missing this time all I can do is laugh This time though I will not forget to enjoy Gabrielle Gayle, Benjamin N. Cardozo High School
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