to be authentic
i must tell you
i would rather whisper
i am driven by my past
that I long to be 27 again
new city with miles to walk
so skinny I wore tight jeans
drinking and dancing
with my feminist friends
they got married…had kids…moved away…forgot me.
to be authentic
i must tell you
i would rather whisper
i miss renting a room
leaving when I please
no real possessions except for photos
my teddy bear from age 7
loved ones were alive
my nonna would call and ask
how close to the White House I lived
that’ the American dream she told me
through her beautiful bright blue eyes
hair that turned blond and not gray
teaching me to put ice in her homemade wine
to take the bitterness away
nonna told me never talk to anyone who
didn’t love my hair in a neatly tied bun
the one she wore everyday
they need to see your face
she told me as she touched my face with her hand
i long to live in the past
i tell you in a whisper.