From A Pond Poem by Kim McInnis

I’ve been holding your hand for far too long now
- your palm is hot as a swamp
- your thick fingers turn my knuckles white

I can’t run so fast or far
And there’s not enough water for me here

There were days when you carried me everywhere
- brushed my hair
- rubbed lotion on my scars
And there were no monsters
- hiding under the bed

I watched a daisy bloom with you
I walked along the beach with you

But I kept counting candles
And I grew too tall for your shadow
And I learned
- you’re just a man
- and you too can lie

I can’t run so fast or far
And there’s not enough water for me here

It’s time
- that I learned to grow
- legs of my own