Wild Things
Don’t tell me
Your name
Your job
Your age
Not right away
I don’t care
about your car
or what you think about the weather
and why it won’t stop raining
Let’s count stars…
How many constellations can you name?
What is the highest altitude you’ve ever climbed to?
Did you know horseshoe crabs have blue blood that may save your life?
When was the last time you told a lie? Did you get away with it?
What knocks against your brain doors when you can’t sleep?
What are you still waiting to give yourself permission for?
Who do you think about when you can’t breathe?
What fear do you give your power away to?
Let’s finger paint
There is no right way
That huge blob right there is perfect
Let’s stomp and roll in this leaf pile
until they’re threaded through our hair
Let’s tear the candy wrappers and leave them
for someone else to pick up, just this once
Remember
that the days tick to their own rhythm
They will push and pull us regardless
of whether or not we’re ready
Remember
that if you call me and ask nicely
I’ll wait for you, and pick you up
when you need someone
Who is real
and doesn’t care
about mistakes made
by former selves
We’ll sail off, claim a new territory
Let’s call it Alwaysandeverland
and mark it with a red mushroom
because the X will wear away by morning
I only care
about these answers we find
today
in the space of here and now
When we rip off our make-believe masks
and the Velcro on these flimsy costumes
and become monsters again
