Forbidden

Forbidden the adult section of the library

no one cares I have already read Little House and Nancy Drew

Small notebooks with marbled covers, purchased from the Five and Dime

nestle into my back pocket as I stand up on my bike pedals to make it up the ridge

I only dare share the stories that amuse and titillate my friends

no one reads the stories written on my heart, maybe no one ever will

No one makes a living with words, they protest my declaration of English major

three decades and four English degrees later I am still writing and haven’t starved yet