I was 18 and clueless

meandering the halls of community college

no influencer gig, no YouTube stardom, no freelance career

bereft of stability, starting then, like I was "supposed to be"

just a kid who scribbled illegible notes in a journal

and ducked away to her favorite hiding spots to read

running track and cross country with the setting sun

sweaty in sweats, and t-shirts, destined to stay with me

long after the armpits are worn out of existence

and shorts, no matter the weather,

and feet, zebra-striped from keens

and hair, pig-tailed and tangled

no consciousness of the "should-have's"

cause how would I have ever known?

that what I think I want

demands I sacrifice my past snowglobe

of sanctuary

~ERL Poetry - Elisse Lorenc