Grow UP

I was so little, the first time I was asked.

So what will you be, when you finally grow up?

A farmer, a barber, a teacher, a nurse? A vet or a doctor? Save lives or heal hurt. 

My mind was open, their minds were closed, and they would just tear down whatever I chose. 

A farmer for you? You’re too small you’re too weak. A barber won’t suit you, you’ll never get in, a teacher takes focus, it’s focus you lack, a vet or a doctor?

Forget about that. 

You can’t be anything, your head’s in the clouds, come back to earth and work yourself out. 

But I was so little, the world was so big, I went to my room and I started to think. 

I’d stare at my mirror til it opened right up. I’d ask it the question, when I would feel stuck. 

The glass melts away and I’m swept off my feet. 

I trust in myself, I brace and I leap. 

Silk through my skin as my wings start to form, the beat of my heart matched the beat of their song. 

The sky here is yellow, the sun here is blue, the forest is glistening with soft morning dew. 

I fly over castles a treehouse a stream, I see beautiful dragons, they come over to me. 

They roar but their fire is silver instead, I reach out to touch them, stroke their beautiful heads. 

We burst through the clouds and we land from such height, so a beautiful centaur can show us to fight. 

She teaches us balance and pulls out her bow, she shows how to hold it, how to make her arrows. 

She gifts us the weapon before we say goodbye, I call on my wings and together we fly.

The dragons they take me to a castle of snow, they urge me to to steady, take out my new bow. 

The intricate carvings of the wood make me smile, but the dragons they roar, and spill out their fire. 

I look down below us, and it boils my blood, unicorns, griffins, soldiers rounding them up. 

I look to the left and the pegasus fly, their wings slope in large nets as they whinny and cry. 

I dive in the air with the dragons close by, and I know straight away that we came here to fight. 

I pull back the bow and the arrows they spring, I aim at the clips to break the pegasus free. 

They burst to the sky and I turn to the griffins, they screech and they wail as the soldiers control them. 

I land on the ground hitting hard on my feet, and I meet face to face with their leader I think. 

His armour is gold but his weapons are red, they drip on the slate and point to my chest. 

“Get out of here child, this is their end, you cannot save them, and I’m not your friend.” 

I pull back my bow and I cut the ropes loose, the griffins break free and shake out of their noose. The man screams, he’s angry, “you idiot, you fool” but I think I’m tired of being told what to do. 

My eyes find the unicorns they kick and they neigh, they use horrible means to keep them at bay. 

I look up to the dragons and ask for their help, I burst up they dive down, and the soldiers, they yelp. 

They scatter and cry as the dragons land hard, splitting the slate and breaking the yard. 

The unicorns flee shooting out of the gate, they trample the leader before slipping away. 

The dragons are angry, scorch the people still left, I fly back through the mirror and I put down my pen. 

A farmer, a barber, a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, a vet, saving lives, healing hurt. 

I can be all of them, whatever I choose, because I am a writer, I write my own truth. 

If my head’s in the clouds, then my mind, it has wings,

So I held onto myself, and grew up to be me. 

Author’s Notes

Hey stranger! So How’s you?

Thank you for reading Grow Up! This one comes from a child’s mind in a small town who wanted nothing more than to be a writer. My imagination always did make people uncomfortable! But I soon learned that my comfort and authenticity doesn’t require any approval but my own! 

I faught hard through my life to get it back, and now…

I couldn’t imagine myself without it.

Along the edge of a dream I’ll see you! 

Roux