i am 13 again
beads scattered on the carpet
friendship bracelets reaffirming what i had let go
what i had distanced myself from
i am 10 again
we’re at summer camp
the boy you like runs by as we split a snack
we exchange giddy looks
an exuberant laugh forces its way through my lips
blissfully unaware
i am 8 again
we’re mermaids with chlorine-soaked braids
nothing is more important
we reluctantly reapply our sunscreen
these moments morph into decades
but our divine feminine friendship never ceases
i hurt, i bleed, i purge
but i see you and i am her again
watered down juice boxes and dirt-stained gymboree shorts
taylor swift singalongs and photo booth strips with crooked teeth smiles
that girl is still in me
and i see her so clearly when i’m with you
