Almost killed me

Growing Love

Since I was young I’ve liked only one boy.

People would say we were attached like gum.

He told me he’d take care of my bear, Vanilla

and build our future home with a blanket.

Our mom’s would call us inside to get sleep.

Dreaming of a night out by the water.

All summer we would play in cool water.

As he grinned, I chose to kiss that boy.

We’d lay out on the grass and catch some sleep.

My heart skipped a beat, when he offered gum.

Shy, I buried my face in the blanket.

Ice cream time came and we chose vanilla.

My first date perfume was Sweet Vanilla.

He held my hand as we walked on water.

Wind was cold so he gave me his blanket.

My dad wanted to talk to, “That dang boy.”

Sister wanted to know if we, “Swapped gum.”

I just wanted to get some happy sleep.

When we first got married there was no sleep.

Our first house always smelled like vanilla.

The snack drawer was forever filled with gum.

And our first married fight involved water.

He talked about our first being a boy,

snuggled into me under our blanket.

His kids are crying about their blanket.

They’re his kids when I haven’t got much sleep.

All the fuss and fight makes me say, “Oh boy.”

Our house smelled like playdough, not vanilla.

Learned a dirty kid’s enemy is water

and peanut butter’s the enemy of gum.

Dentures can’t handle his favorite gum.

We spend our days wrapped in a thick blanket.

He’ll wake me up and beg for some water.

I embrace the fact of eternal sleep.

He whispers I smell like warm vanilla,

my mind goes back to when he was a boy.

What I would give for some gum and good sleep,

on my blanket with ice cream . . . vanilla.

We’d play in the water, me and my boy.

PS! I'm totally indebted to my friend David for helping me with some revisions.