A brain that moves a mile a minute,
rehearsing a speech in her head,
yet never saying it just right.
Fatigued and undernourished,
yet simultaneously fed;
not just with tasty foods, which she can never pick just one favorite of,
but with the promise of what tomorrow brings.
Keeping in touch with every loved one,
or at least trying to.
From family to friends,
to the love of her life,
and every classmate she’s had a two second interaction with
that she remembers dearly.
She’s been waiting for this all her life.
Some may say a little too eager,
like Elle Woods or Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony,
with the ambition of Nancy Wheeler and the boldness of Robin Buckley.
She shouldn’t have watched Stranger Things at 11,
it’s scary as hell,
but she’s understanding it more now.
She’s everything she always wanted to be,
and overjoyed.
She’s in college, near the city of dazzling dreams and bright lights,
and a metric ton of pigeons.
A complex array of culture, nightlife-the sights and sounds of a country’s evolution,
The Green Light.
The place she always dreamed of,
The stories she always wanted to tell,
The family she calls and texts almost too regularly,
The friends by her side no matter what,
The people who try to understand her
And show up, to the best of their ability.
A girl who truly loves her for every hue she possesses,
every pantone in the Crayola box,
who doesn’t leave when it gets difficult.
The burning passion
for her major, her family, her friends, her interests-
a cut and paste collage of every life experience until now,
that she has the ability to pull apart and put together
piece by piece.
She writes like she’s running out of time,
putting deadlines on every moment,
while trying to remember to just breathe.
It’s not 30/90.
She’s only 19.
There is still time to figure it out.
Kindling the campfire,
but allowing it to rest.
That’s how the best s’mores are made.
With love and dedication and community,
It takes a village to be sustained.
