“Growing Pains” by Laurel Masciantonio, X: poetry

Growing Pains

Is it silly that I cried the other day watching Spongebob? There were so many things floating around in that brain of mine— BAM! Nostalgia. Now that there’s so much responsibility & capability clouding over me, I don’t have time to sit and play with Barbies for hours and build Jenga towers with the kindergarten playmates who stole my cheese sticks and zoomed around the yard with pretend superpowers that lifted them up, up and away. Now, there’s no pizza lunches or creepy, Chuck E.Cheese. No innocence or pretzels for 75 cents. I still feel like I’m four years old, waiting for prince charming and singing loudly to Katy Perry with my hairbrush as a microphone. I hold on to the childhood I remember, as I learn to drive for real instead of in Mario

Kart. And there will never be a day when Spongebob won’t make me cry a little inside, but I think it’s okay.

- Laurel Masciantonio, X: poetry