5 foot something, maybe more

everyone says good morning here;

even the trees with their dark, mossy fingers

i think the grass is greener here;

i’d like to sprawl out

and bask in the sun like a cat

without a thought to my hair

or the man watching from the park bench

i‘d like to laugh loudly at nothing at all

because i can

i’d like to smile at strangers

with every imperfect tooth,

to cross my legs on the sidewalk

and talk with the squirrels

a jumping spider

scuttled across my knee

and i didn’t scream

i think i grew a little

in the park this morning.

i think i grow a little taller

every spring

when, like the flowers,

i realize i let my shoulders hunch

when it was cold