it must be confusing to you,
when all your dolls, big and small,
and "clover," the bear still talk to you,
and yet you hear other voices too,
the one in your head that insists
you abandon ship and shave your legs
because tomorrow you have gym class,
and the one that wonders how come,
you never get a sucker at the bank
even if you scrunch down in the car,
because you really are ten!!! and not 12 or 14;
you can't help it you are as tall as your mom,
and read big books and whole encyclopedias,
so that waitress should just bring your balloon over,
you shouldn't have to ask for one on "kids' night,"
and it really is okay, extremely, super mega-okay,
if tears leak from your eyes right before bed when
you can't find the old rag doll with the bandaged leg
who needs to sleep with the new rag doll you got today.

esp. for ali who is in the midst of navigating that transitional stage between the last year of elementary school and junior high, the year you still believe in santa claus, but you also get a razor under the xmas tree, in saving grace. yes, virginia, there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

.....okay, maybe i should rename this piece "do you see what i see." apparently, my first attempt at posting it was "too small," so i enlarged it. if it didn't work, please someone let me know ... and for those of you who went to the squinting extreme to read the first attempt, i thank you.