The Man Child (60 sec. rd.)

The man sat on the bench wondering if he should ask the young lady for her number, ask her to coffee. Then his mind drifted…

You know what the cool part about stepping on shit is? You can clean it. If there’s a water hose next to you, then you hose it off. The bad side is the deeps sighs and exasperation over a mistake like it’s the apocalypse.

You know what sucks about dropping milk when you’re five years old? Getting scolded for it. Every day of your life you fear mistakes to the point of losing sleep. You live in the safe zone, not daring.

The terrible thing about getting hurt, like falling off your bike, then hearing, “Get up. I told you. Good. You see. Don’t cry.” You dread new experiences. You think everything is your fault. You believe that you deserve pain.

“You’re not a child anymore. You’re not a child. Not a child. Child. No.”

©Ana P. Rose & Anaprose 2017.