Abecedarian #1

A wild child on orange bike, roaming through the gardens, picking flowers and chasing

Butterflies. She frolics until the sun sets and moon rises. Dinner time! mom

Cries.

Don’t ever waste a single rice grain in your bowl, grandma chimes.

Eager to explore, testing boundaries through ‘yes’ and ‘no,’  

Firstborn and only-born, a girl in a man-eats-man world.

Gullible, commendable, moldable. Raised under

High expectations, not unlike that Eminem song “you only get one shot”.

Impelled to follow the paved path. Play it safe; take it easy; Be

Just like him, her or them, they say.

Kicking and screaming on the inside for a chance to rebel, for a chance to

Live,

Make mistakes, try that tasteful piercing and that watercolor tattoo.

Never for a moment taking pause. Life is a marathon. Walk, not run.

Overachiever. Please remember to

Pace yourself.

Quick to succeed and rise to the top.

Respect the limits, but reach for the stars. My body jolts and my feet

Stops; the tree shakes, and everything changes. “Listen to your heart,” mom consoles

The many masks worn

Unveils and, now standing tall.

Vulnerable with the cyclical self-doubt. “Now is the time to act and for you to be you.” My soul

Whisper. “Find your

X-factor and show it to the world

Yield to no one, but yourself. Find

Zeal and maybe try out that potter’s wheel…”