I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore

When I started to long for the nap time I’d been given in kindergarten.

How I squandered those precious hours of quiet

Laying awake, convinced that I was not a child.

I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore

When I revisited the bathrooms in the lower school.

Did the toilets shrink? The sink must’ve gotten smaller.

And the paper towel dispenser, it’s practically on the floor.

I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore

When the poetry in English class became the opposite of literal.

Flowers are never literal flowers - their deep blue hue depicts the lugubrious tone.

What if the poet just likes dark blue?

I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore 

When I was told I was a senior in high school.

Wait a second, I can’t be one of those big kids I knew in fifth grade 

Who had their entire life completely figured out.

I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore

When I figured out that part of me would always be a kid.

I still love apple juice and chicken nuggets, I need naps,

And as an adult, I will sing in the hallways because I am just an older kid.