When I was small, I wanted to be Cokie Roberts

Because my mother liked her

Then, I wanted to be a veterinarian

Because the girl I had a crush on 

Loved her dog

I memorized the Ballad of Gilligan’s Island when I was four

Lisping the tune to a show I’d never seen

A favorite of my parents’ era

I didn’t watch much television

But I knew that other people liked it

My career dreams were always 

Dreams for people,

For places I haven’t been,

And things I didn’t yet know

I’d sit at the top of my stairs at night

Beset with 7-year-old worries

About aliens and men breaking in

It’s never too early to be concerned

With homeland security 

I wanted to make sure what I had:

My bed, my books, my brother

Were protected, because I knew

They kept me safe

Being the eldest 

Is really about pragmatism 

Grand plans for greatness 

Were for other people 

And I was happy with that

I was born to protect, but also

To lie prone, on a carpet

With a pen and a lined notebook

And recede gently into dreams

I can create whatever I’d like

And tie it closed with frayed string

Covers bookending, in padlock.

For safety, I write 

Not for somebody else, but for me

I can go on living

In search of beauty to keep safe

And on the days I can’t 

I’ll dream it up, write it down, 

And hold it close.