AGE SIX

Today's October Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge is by Regina Gort


The Problem with Authority

First day of endless possibility
Playdoh, Dollhouse, Crayons.
A bit of guidance from our teacher,
"Please draw what you want to be when you grow up."

A few minutes of thought then
determined coloring onto construction paper.
Deliberate imagination captured
a portrait of me with a crown.

"Regina, please share with the class," she insisted.

A clear of the throat, a confident smile as
I revealed my masterpiece.
"The Queen of England," I said.

To which a harsh response was uttered,
"You can't be her. That's impossible."
A defiant stomp of my foot as I replied,
"I can be whoever I want, my momma told me so."

To the outer edge of
the classroom I was sent
where I pledged that
anything would be possible
and still is.

Regina Gort at age 6