I saw myself in the California skies
somewhere else
where I was not
Half-hidden darkness and half-hidden gems
in a southern middle class suburb
We walked to school
and envied the neighbor’s portable television
that occupied the car where our friends watched morning cartoons
as their mom directed street traffic in her blue uniform
No celebrities
except the ones we highlighted in our minds
the girl who played softball like a champ
I couldn’t even catch the ball in our own backyard
Dad tried to teach me but I could never get it
Piano too
I cried in frustration
My dark bangs and protruding belly
ugly in comparison
to my golden-locked neighbor
who had a stomach like an Olympic gymnast
She was the daughter of the mom
with the portable TV
But she wet the bed
and I always felt like a stranger
in her house.
Busted Flip Flops 