When I was young,
My sister and I would play for hours
Slipping on those plastic high heels
And donning sparkly Disney princess costumes.
We’d run around the backyard all afternoon
Fighting battles on Narnian soil
Wielding sticks as weapons and taking council behind a bush that’s no longer there.
When I was in middle school,
I wore a uniform
But I dressed it up with bright colors
Accessories probably too outlandish for my private school theme.
Bold shades to match the bands on my braces
Braces I wore ‘til I was sixteen.
When I was in high school,
I went to dances in fancy dresses
Scanning the sea of bodies for outfits I liked better than mine
Sprinkling my eyelids with glitter and painting my lips red.
I donned the blue and gold colors of my school and fixed a bow to my ponytail
The lights of the football stadiums reflecting off the whites of my shoes.
Now I am in college
Learning new things about myself
Changing things about myself
Coming into my own in ways I never did before
A girl turning into a woman.
A woman not quite ready to grow up.
Written by: Caroline Johnson
Owl Things Considered 