Lipstick and Comic Books

Written in 1999

I was asked the other day
About things that shaped me,
What made me who I am.
There are possessions,
And childhood heroes,
Collections and music.
I watched Mr. Roger's Neighborhood
And Sesame Street often;
Working out to Mousersize
As mom made Kool-Aid pops;
Batman and Spiderman comic books
And later Lady Death;
Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins,
Heroes for a kid.
My mother's giant rose gardens
And visits to dad's work.
As I aged I changed a lot,
With black clothes and the like.
The cowboy boots were replaced
By big black biker boots;
I traded my hockey sticks
For guitars and bass,
Barbie's not a doll,
She's now a huge insult;
I drive a car instead of a bike;
Real cigarettes replaced
Those gum and candy ones.
I got my own job
For money does have worth;
My dog isn't a puppy now,
And she won't play ball as much;
Snow has lost its magic,
Because now I have to shovel.
Running around in the rain sucks
Because I get hairspray in my eyes;
Tattoos and parties
Are big in our lives.
Classes last a couple of weeks,
And snow days are rare.
Class papers get longer,
And 3/4 of my teachers are male.
All this and more is important,
And all of what I know;
If you look inside yourself
You will see them, too.