I’m glad I’m not
fifteen anymore

---

I walked home alone, which is always my favorite. Last time I saw a bunny. This time, I was walking past all the beautiful Pittsburgh homes, their windows lit up and laughing party voices and TV glows were coming from inside. In the distance I saw some boys leaving a party. The lawns are so steep here – they are walls of grass. People were walking down the steps and one boy ran down the lawn; he ran a few steps and then slid down the steepest part. He was standing as he was sliding, the lawn was that steep.

I thought about how there are still those little moments everywhere that grab you. Those super hero moments. Like the boy sliding down the lawn. Or when I saw someone climb a tree that was all gold and yellow and just sit up there for a while, on his way to wherever he was going.

These are things that I need. Yes, all the ocean’s fish will probably die, and yes, humans are running the earth into the ground, and yes, I’m scared for the future. But just this summer, I lived in a house and our backyard was the Serengeti. Everything was tank tops and shorts and barefoot bike rides to the gas station for ice cream, bringing the dog along.

That’s what I was thinking about as I kept walking. Now the boys I saw earlier were in their car, starting to drive away. I passed their rolled down window and they yelled at me:

“Hey! Suck balls!”