Guilty Pleasures

My Sis is a pretty little thing, sometimes,

all ruffled up in checkerboard gingham
and lacy trim just skimming across
knees plastered with Spongebob band-aids
from a losing battle with her new bike
                                                         
Oh my, those too short days
of Barbie and telling the most awesome secrets with gal pals
under the big Catalpa in the front yard
that bloomed lovely orchids, then later shed ugly black pods
that crunch when stepped on .

Theodore from down the street

tried to schmooch on her when Suzanne wouldn’t
but she turned away and told him she had a cold
because really it was Jimmy Waskowski
that she wanted to kiss her.
 

She has a crayon picture of Jimmy

kept scrunched into her plastic Dora purse
along with a hankie from Gram, a baggie of hard old gummie bears,
and a hairbrush she can’t use cause she brushed Rex with it
when he got into the burdock out back.

 Mom will be calling her home for dinner soon

The family all must eat together
but she’s twitching to go go go upstairs
to her secret space under the bed
and put down all of this fantastic day in her diary,

which I now must close  and carefully put back as I found it

to get downstairs to dinner before I am missed.