august 2003 (age 14)

I want to be like Robinson Caruso
words blunt and
little boy little tom-girl (all girls are Toms)
adventurer.
I want to be about apples and
skinned knees.
Blowing bubbles and pulling
sling-shots at the trees.
I want to be Swiss Family Robinson, making
houses out of air
swinging pails and weaving ropes
feeling mud between the creases of my
skin.
I want to be about hunting for food and
accomplishment with knives.
I want to be the Boy within.
I want to be like Mark Twain solitude with
Rabbits and
pulling weeds.
That's it. (That must be it)
I want to be about growing
and pulling
weeds.
This little adventure girl within wants to be
all she was told she couldn't be, she wants to
eat the worms and mark the skin.
She wants to be fighting Lord of the Flies
straps holding wooden swords on
wild cries and
bloody arms.
I want to find Tom and claim her as my name.
I want to make sure that my daughter knows
her name is Tom; her second name will always
be Tom.