The Girl in Pink

She wishes on dandelions in the spring

And delights in the romance of the world,

And you tell her that she’s silly at sixteen,

For her thoughts would be better spent on higher things

Than popular songs and pink dresses that twirl

As she wishes on dandelions in the spring.

If she were better, her voice wouldn’t crack when she sings,

Her foolish, broken heart buried like an oyster pearl.

You tell her that she’s silly at sixteen

For crying over a prom date who doesn’t say what he means

And believing in a fairytale where boy meets girl

And picks her dandelions in the spring.

You wish she would be better than wearing pink,

Rose-tainting her mind, which you’d like to unfurl

And teach her not to be so silly at sixteen.

If I were better, you’d like to think,

I would give you a thought and stop being such a girl,

But I still wish on dandelions in the spring

And wish I was as silly as I was at sixteen.

February 12, 2024