Barbra Schroeder

By Jenny Pirkle

I was born about noon in the shade of magnolias
Wearing the rose-colored glasses of trust
Everything to lose, but still I flew higher
When I took that one fatal glance at the earth

You were born on a night without trees or spectacles
Aspiring to mediocrity and lacking in love
So I knelt on the ground with my knees in the dirt
And now I’m the same height as you

I know in my heart that you’re all that I have
(I’ve lost my faith in sweet-smelling trees)
My rose-colored glasses have turned a dark gray
And my noon in the shade disappeared

It’s hard to believe that it’s worth it to lose
But I happen to know from experience
The wings of naiveté hold so few pounds
And land is more stable than sky