Candy Land

2005 9th-12th Grade Poetry Winner

"you'd be so nice to come home to"
was on the speakers
and there we were,
two cats
eating the cream canary,
lolling,
licking our fingers like we knew we were special.

some girls, I said, are glossy, with frosted pink lips,
but they also come in guilty red.

most boys, you said, are beautiful,
and some know it, and act like they know it,
while others lean on walls, tables, chairs,
because they like how their hips move when placed in that position.

we laughed awkwardly, we stopped thinking about it.
leaning in, I knew safety was not an option.
you smelled like apples.
I have learned to love apples.