Self Explanations

I wrote the first of these when I was 16 and then a year later added another...

Self Explanation at 16
I have an old tictac container,

empty now of vanilla breathmints

and instead lined with baby teeth.
I saved all the ones the tooth fairy didn’t take,
and when they didn’t fill it, I took
to saving the fortunes from the cookies
my dad brought home sometimes.
I’d meticulously fold each rectangular slip of paper,
coil it, and slip it
through the tictac slot at the top.
I can imagine that those fortunes hold
something,
but never what.

AT SEVENTEEN
Love is not always perfect.
The love you find can be the love you want,
But that doesn’t mean it will last forever.
Love can die,
It’s a fact.
One that I never thought I would believe.
Love comes in many forms,
In short bursts of naïve, unbridled passion, and I would hope there are long bursts of it too.
I still believe in Love.
And I found that I won’t settle for less once I’ve seen I can have more.