I am Twelve
I am twelve,
but much as a five-year-old.
I wade into cold, mucky water,
splashing happily,
making as much noise as I can.
Then adventurous me turns
to the quiet side.
I try to grab minnows
with bare hands.
Then explorer me
ventures to the land
to make little lizards
become my pet dragons.
This is me:
twelve-year-old exterior,
five-year-old heart.
~~
Magic
Watch me disappear like magic
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ABRACADAB
ABRACADA
ABRACAD
ABRACA
ABRAC
ABRA
ABR
AB
A
~~
Sooner or Later
Sooner or later it was bound to happen. I was sitting in my bedroom, trying to hide my face from my mom’s. Then I screamed, “Fine! I snuck out of the house last night!”
My mom looked me in the eye and said, “Why did you do that?”
Ideas swirled through my head and the first one that popped into my head was the one that I told her, “No reason!”
Mom stared at me straight in the eye. I felt hot sweat running down my back and my cheeks turning red.
“Kim,” Mom said, “I can tell you’re lying. Tell me the real reason why you have not talked to me since yesterday.”
“Alright! I just don’t want to go on the stupid cruise ship just so you and dad can have some time together. I don’t want to miss my best friend’s Sweet 16 either.”
“Is that what you are so upset about? We can’t cancel the trip now, but you can invite Cynthia over as soon as we get back and have your own party. Won’t that be fun?”
I rolled my eyes and stomped downstairs for breakfast. I could hear loud screaming and knew that my brothers were going at it again.
“I did not break the vase!” Devin yelled.
“Yes you did! I saw it with my own eyes!” exclaimed Ryan.
“You can hardly see! Remember the garbage bag in our yard yesterday?”
“Yes! I am not dumb!”
“You said it was a poodle!”
“Did not!”
Mom broke up the fight, like usual. She stood there giving them a twenty-minute lecture when I asked her why black smoke was coming from the kitchen. I ran in with her to see that the toast had become blackly burned. I decided to eat cold cereal, again.
After I finished eating I was about to head outside when mom said, “Kim, I have a surprise for you!” Those are never good words.
I thought to myself that I would never get outside if mom wanted to go online shopping, which was normally her way of trying to make things up to me. Don’t get me wrong, but she wants to buy me clothes that I would only wear to grandma’s house every two years.
“Guess what, Kimmy-poo!”
I groaned in disgust, “You know I hate that nickname!”
“Anyhow, your father and I wanted to go to the Bahamas for the cruise, which I forgot to tell you. Won’t that be fun?”
I was about to tell her that that meant a longer boat ride when the phone rang. I ran over and picked it up because I knew that it would be Cynthia.
“Hey!” I chanted.
“So…… aren’t you excited for your cruise!” Cynthia exclaimed.
“No! I have to miss your birthday party!” I cried.
“What? My birthday is in April! Did you forget again?!” she questioned angrily.
I stuttered, “How could I forget! I have got to go. Bye!”
Well, I was angry that I forgot, but at least I am not missing her birthday party now. This might not be the worst summer of my life after all.
“Kim! We have got to go now! You have had three whole weeks to pack!”
“Hold on one second, Mom!”
I quickly shoved the last pair of socks into my third suitcase and made a run for it. Various clothes stock out of my suitcase as I bolted down the stairs. My dad was standing with the door open and looking at his watch. He just stared at me as I ran over to the car.
Both my brothers were already sitting in the good spots. I groaned as I tried to reach the middle seat.
Ryan screamed at the top of his lungs, “I see London, I see France, I see Kim’s underpants!”
Right when I sat down I punched him. Ryan kicked me to return the favor. Devin was bored silly and joined in. Soon we were all in a battle to the death.
~~
Common Questions of a Weird Girl
- Why do people order large fries, a large hamburger, and a Diet Coke?
- Why do people teach their kids that violence is never the answer but at school kids are taught about wars that solved America’s problems?
- Why do people leave their cars outside but leave their old junk in the garage?
- Why do people pay money to go up tall buildings and then pay even more to look at things on the ground?
- Is there ever a day when mattresses are not on sale?
- If you dug a hole through the center of the Earth to the other side, would you come out feet first?
- Why do thaw and unthaw mean the same thing?
- In the song “Yankee Doodle,” did he name the horse, hat, or feather macaroni?
- Why do people say heads up when you should duck?
- Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest but duck when someone launches a gun at him?
- What was the best thing before sliced bread?
- Why do British people never sound British when they sing?
- If there is a speed of light, what is the speed of darkness?
- What does OK actually stand for?
- Why is it called a TV set when there is only one?
- If you were traveling at the speed of sound and turned on the radio, would you be able to hear it?
- Why is it called a building if it is already built?
- When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
- If a turtle losses its shell, is it homeless or naked?
- Why do people press harder on the remote if they know the battery is dead?
- If the number two pencil is the most popular, why is it still number two?
- Why do genius and ingenious mean the same thing?
- Why do banks leave the vault doors wide open but chain the pens to the counter?
- Why is abbreviated such a long word?
- Why do they call it a pair of pants when there is just one?
- Why do they report power outages on TV?
- Why do people duck in the rain?
- How do you draw a blank?
- Why am I asking these questions?
Mt. Lebanon Young Writers 