Grad Days
On the bed, I gather my daughter under my arm
I open to the journal entry I wrote about finishing high school
She reads it out loud, stumbling on my messy cursive words
We laugh at the similarities: the dreaded math exam
the pull of adulthood on our minds, the exhaustion in our bodies
Then the dog pees on the journal. Looks right at us as he does it
We squeal and yank the book from under him, pull him off the bed
scramble to lift the comforter from the mattress, laugh and laugh
Thing is, I’m still that eighteen-year-old nerd, still nervous
passionate, striving to make an impact, to stand in the profound
new moon in gemini
conjuncts past & present
two new bulbs on the orchid
That’s me and my dad on my graduation day, circa 1996! It was the first time that my dad attended a school function. I was so happy…and cautious! Him too…can you see it in his eyes?! Check out those runners! They were my favourite. Oh, how many hours at the loop I danced in those bad boys. There you have it. Me at 18. Oof.
VANESSA SHIELDS 