I stuck my face in pins. In the bathroom
I screamed Where oh where has my little girl gone?
In marine biology class I squeezed a sea cucumber.
Black ink dripped through my fingers.
In the garden next to the gift shop
I mixed sugar and sulfuric acid.
In the planetarium I touched myself.
In the parking lot I kicked my brother in the balls.
At the entrance, at 4:00, the giant plastic dinosaur
roared at passing cars. I huffed
and I puffed
and I waited to be picked up.
I waited all day
for my tenth birthday,
for zero to lay me
down
and set me free.
