The Fourteen-Year-Old Mark By:Alice Jane

The ceiling used to be a galaxy,way up and out of reach,
With sticky stars and plastic moons, and lessons yet to teach.
My Minnie Mouse bed was a boat that drifted ‘round the floor,
Pink ears and plastic guardrails, anchored right by the door.
At seven, I wore party dresses just to climb a tree,
With tangled, crazy hair and a heart that felt totally free.
I’d only touch the chicken or the potatoes piled high,
And I was honestly scared of "weird" new veggies,I wouldn't even try.
But now at fourteen, when I wake, the world feels wide and new,
The mirror on the dresser shows a girl I barely knew.
The shelf where dolls once sat in rows now holds a different beat,
And there's no more Orbeez bouncing,or rolling ‘neath my feet.
I’ve traded messy braids and gowns for a complicated style,
Now I worry what they're thinking as I’m hanging for a while.
We talk of songs and random trends, or a crush that’s in our class,
Watching all those "little" worries of our childhood finally pass.
I used to fear the rain would ruin our afternoon of play,
Now I’m busy finding all the things I finally want to say.
The room didn’t actually get smaller, I just finally hit the roof—
My outgrown shoes and dusty books are all the silent proof.
I’m standing on the edge right now, between the old and the new,
A book with empty pages, waiting for a line that’s true.
I’ll leave that Minnie bed behind, but keep that inner spark,
Ready for the world to start—and leave my fourteen-year-old mark.