When I was three
they put me in a bottle.
When I was four
they rolled me out to school.
When I was five
I learned about dinosaurs, and I thought
I would die in here if they ever came to get me.
When I was six
they came to get me.
The dinosaurs had evolved.
When I was seven
I was still alive.
When I was eight
they rolled me away, out of the city, and I thought
this is it, they're going to kill me.
They're going to shake me champagne,
pop the cork, pour me out
tear my limbs, and eat me.
When I was nine
I was still alive.
When I was ten
they set me free.
When I was eleven
I roamed, unconfined.
When I was twelve
I cut my hand, picking up
severed glass.
When I was thirteen
witnessing terrible things,
those things made me feel like a dinosaur.
When I was fourteen
My scars healed into reptilian scales.
When I was fifteen
I learned about nature vs. nurture and time.
And time.
And time.
Now at sixteen
time won't ever reconstruct that precious bottle.