would like to know your birthdate

She said, “I would like to know your birthdate,
and also other things about you,
like if you had a good-luck charm as a child,
and if you named it a secret.
When you walked home from school,
did you touch the trunks of trees in order?
Or did you skip home, scuttling over cracks?
I would like to know if your eyes were always that blue,
what your guts felt like when you first kissed,
and if you were the cowboy or the chief.
Did you always drink your milk?
Did you blush when yelled at?
Which freckle have you always had, and
which have you lost?
I would like to know your first favorite color
and all the favorites after that –
dogs, songs, shoes, rooms –
and if you don’t have time to tell me now,
then I would like twice as much time.”

About Halsted M. Bernard

Halsted, a/k/a cygnoir, does stuff with words. Her favourite things to do with words are keeping this diary, writing stories, and organising information. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband, two cats, a few gadgets, several fountain pens, and many books.

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