One rainy night much like this one, my father once told me, "It's rainin' pitchforks and nigger babies" and I laughed,
because I was a child and didn't know any better.

My mother once let me take a sip of coffee in the sewing room.
The drapes were drawn, and I sat on her lap by the window.
She said it was what big people drank, and so I tried it,
because I was a child and I was curious to see what it was
that big people drank.

Once I put a hose in my mouth, but there was no water to quench
my thirst. My sister around the corner of the house turned it on
to water some plants, and shortly after mamma called emergency,
because I was a child and I got too much to drink that day.

One birthday party, me and a bunch of kids played capture the flag.
I had the other side's flag in my hand and I was inches from
safety and glory when a girl jumped out and tagged me.
It all vanished, just like that, and I got angry and hit her,
because I was a child and I had a temper.

We had a bush in the yard that daddy tried to kill a half dozen
times before he gave it up. I used to sit in the heart
of the bush with Abby and hide from red sportscars and schoolbuses,
because I was a child and sometimes I felt the need to hide.