It takes time
To grow.

When I was little
All the world was above me
And the other children
Still stuck at my level
Wanted nothing but to reach
The top.

No matter who and where
They all wanted the same
"I want to grow up!"
They said,
"I'm all grown up!
Can't you tell?
I can tie my shoes
And when I sit
My feet
Almost reach the ground
I have already lost a tooth
And I
Am a big kid
Now."

I liked my highchair.
I liked to sit at the counter
The stool bringing me
Miles above the floor
Above the world
And I would eat Kix cereal
Out of a little plastic bowl
And wherever I went
I carried a lunchbox
That sprawled with pictures
Of Care Bears and Rainbows.

I liked that my daddy
Could swing me through the air
Up to rest on his shoulder
And I would sit
At the highest spot
In planet Earth.

I remember the first time
I baked a pie
And they all said it was
Delicious
And I was seven
But I did a good job
And they'd give me a pat
And give me a kiss
And I knew
That I
Was right.

Not even middle school
Changed my mind
Though the girls wore lipstick
And the boys played football
I still insisted
That this was the place to be
I didn't care about growing up
I didn't want people to think I was mature
Because I knew that now
Would pass too soon
And tomorrow
Could wait its turn.

Now I sit
At the gate of my childhood
A small respite
Before the rest of my life
And I can see the sorrow that lies beyond
The things which I always
Knew were there
Yet this too
Holds promise
A book
A family
A life
A job
There is much happiness
In store.

But I am grateful
For this moment before
This last year
That has been given to me
In eight months
I have been left just a little more time
To grow
And I know it's greedy
And I know it's unfair
But I wish God would give me
Just a little more.