A Miracle called Glasses

A drop that slowly trickles down my face

All blurry, fuzzy, nothing crystal clear

I’m bolt upright but cannot keep pace

My teacher calls on me. I sit in fear

I wish so badly I could sit and learn

But I am hindered by my lack of sight

I can add! When will it be my turn?

I gather all my strength and my might

"I cannot see," I sob at my exam

So useless and so dumb, misunderstood

Will it change? I have done all I can

Now calm yourself child, you will do good

Glasses become the window to the soul

Thank you G-d. Now I feel at ease and whole

Opt-In

There once was an elf from Peru

He said, "take a whiff of my shoe"

I turned queasy green

Exclaimed, "that was mean!"

"Well the choice was still up to you!"

Perpective

“Flip, Dip or Rip”

I seethe through my teeth

As an insidious venom makes its way

One misstep

One wall

A pulsating tomato at the end of my foot

Hop hop hop

Around and around

They did it in 80 days

The nail is still intact

Hop hop hop

At least there's that

Focus on what you have

“Who is rich? Someone who is happy with what he has”

Hop hop hop

A chuckle, a chortle,

Turns into uproarious laughter

Flip through the desert

Dip in the ocean

Rip through the jungle

80 days? Too fast

Smell the roses

A Series of Friends

Around 1^st grade we sit next to each other. We giggle and swap doodles. We share notes. I get 100. Emily gets 70.

Around 6^th grade I meet my match. Esther throws the ball, and for the first time, I am out. I thought kickball was supposed to be fun.

Around 13^th grade I don’t stop laughing. Tone-deaf matched with melodious perfection but Abigail doesn't care. I am me.

Around 5^th grade I learn what it means to be bullied. Rachel moves her desk away from mine, and an invisible wall goes up. How is someone capable of making someone so popular feel like a leper. But she did. And I was.

Around 9^th grade I find someone quietly amazing. We are the dummies of the smartest. We study. We ball. We talk. We cry. We love. Allison teaches me what it means to be a true friend.

Around 15^th grade I learn what it means to unconditionally love. I am introduced to the thin line between love and hate. I learn to give. I learn to forgive. Beth began as a teammate but is so much more. An unlikely friendship. But who cares?

Around 12^th grade I sacrifice myself. Melissa holds a strange power over me. I want to be her friend so badly. I share my secrets. What do I get in return?

Around 14^th grade I transform Sarah. And she changes me. I see a spark of something truly astounding and I hold on tight. The ride is the most amazing one I have been on. I watch her grow and blossom and in so doing, I do as well. Sarah loves and appreciates me for who I am. And I her. What makes a Best Friend.