by Jesse D., 12
Mommy
Mommy always smells golden,
her fresh vanilla hair sweetened
with soft-spoken shower drops.
The New Park by Grammy’s House
Who are these raining urchins
with their backside kickflips, neon tube slides,
rubber-tiled fall zones, carved crooked grinds?
Fairy Tale Time
My reading teacher beams with zest,
the lilt of her voice like two doves in flight,
stapling a fairy tale to the cluttered wall.
Superhero
In gym class, I fly like a peregrine falcon.
I soar like Mercury putting out its flames.
I race like a sailfish goading the sea.
Hobbes & Me
Our cat is a tabby with a broken tail.
No one can stroke his freckled fur but me.
We curl up together til the blind rooster roars
in the frayed branches by our window.
Jacksonville, Florida
Bridge Ink 