when i grow up
i want to be whole

when i grow up
i want to dip my toe
in the water
then decide
poolside or bellyflop

when i grow up
i want to count stars
instead of calories

when i grow up
i want to whistle
work at play
lean into the wind
and sail till the sun sets
or i run out of lake

when i grow up
i want to re-categorize
dust-bunnies as household
pets and give each corner
inhabitant its own name

when i grow up
i want a weekend ride
named harley with lightning
gold stripes along the gas
tank and weekends that go
friday to friday

when i grow up
i want to hold hands
with a boy who will
know when hand holding
is enough
and when its not

when i grow up
i want to live in a space
where ambulance sirens
are only heard near hospitals
and children don’t pretend
to be adults because
childhood is so good

when i grow up
i want to look out
my window and see
mountains’ purple majesty
while catching
the sweet scent of hay

when i grow up
i want to live in spaces
where evening lights
are star filled and
lightning bugs so abundant
i can read by them

when i grow up
i want to live in a
world designed for me
by me with visitors
screened only to add
joy to the newly constructed
dimension

when i grow up
i want to dream
while awake and treat
sleep like a delicacy
fashioned from finery

when i grow up
i want to be more me
than the me i have come
to be

when i grow up
i pray i live up
to the ideal
trapped in a young
girl’s heart
of free.