— after Donika Kelly

My youngest sister’s born.
My family’s new here; historical
Yorktown’s not
like Newport News.
I am the tallest in 4th grade.
Michelle Nguyen’s my best friend.
I can’t have boy friends anymore;
boys are for having crushes on.
I play on the blacktop
after Mr. Philapoom’s class.
Thomas is cute, the only boy
here who is nice to me.
I only go to the trailers for music class.
I don’t like the recorder,
peanut butter, pickles.
My room is full
of Grandma’s stuff.
I get off at the second to last bus stop
and the boy named Hunter is mean.
My dad works a lot
and my mom’s tired.
I don’t have a dog anymore.
I don’t know my multiplication tables.
I play in the woods
and hang off the branches of the Japanese Maple.
My uncle walks me to the end of the street
and I don’t know where he lives.
Older, I love being an older sister,
but I don’t like being older.
The frogs are loud at night–
sometimes I think they scream.
Sometimes I catch them.