Leaving my 12th birthday dinner of Rooty’s rootbeer and burgers,
I blast Celine Dion’s ballad, My Heart Will Go On.
Tears slip silently down,
Smearing the pink and purple icing stains.
Staring out the car window, I mourn my recent loss.
Memories of the awkward love scene in Titanic flood me with shame.
The first racy picture that my mom allows.
Such sweaty passion and embarrassment,
Now eternally intertwined,
Validating what neighborhood kids mention with hushed whispers.
Breasts appear on the screen.
When her hands don’t reach to cover my eyes,
I fear she must know that I have them too.
Burning pink and orange sift through the tinted window,
The sun sets on this day, and on my youth.
Cheeks flaming with the memory and
Realization that nasty puberty has overtaken my soul,
And I understand that, like a boat sinking to the ocean’s floor,
It provides no exit for my escape.