• when I was 6
    they asked me how I got the bruise on my arm
    I said
    I wanted to be superman
    and flew off my bed
    but didn't quite master my powers yet

    when I was 8
    they asked me how I got the scrape on my knee
    I said
    daddy was teaching me how to ride a bike
    but he put too much faith in me
    so I crashed

    when I was 13
    they asked me how I broke my hand
    I said
    I fell down the steps
    while chasing after my father
    who decided he was no longer happy with us

    when I was 16
    they asked me why my wrists were covered in cuts
    I swore
    and blamed my cat
    and tugged my sleeve down

    when I was 18
    she asked me why
    I stared
    at my mother's swollen eyes
    and then I closed mine

    and I finally learned how to fly