apad 3

She is 14 going on 41
an age she may not reach
if the years follow the
tracks along her arms.

Instead of wanting
a pony, she wants more horse
and stops passing strangers
offering a ride for whatever amount.

The wind wraps what little skirt
she wears and as she smoothes it
the wind carries her laughter and
for a moment she is once again 14

like a blade of grass through concrete
she is, for a moment, free