I remember
being a nine year old girl
writing poems with the tip of my nose
on a sheet of false embarrassment;


I had no idea
that the words that could
turn my heart of ashes
into diamond
were on the top shelf
and I was only 5 ft tall.


I could have never imagined
that some old phrases
found on the middle of the road
would find synonyms
in the real world


and how much will it hurt
the game with ink
in which I immersed my ego.