Puberty
When we were in 5th grade,
the teachers separated us by boys and girls
and took us to different AV rooms
to watch videos about what puberty would mean to us.
I remember thinking at the time,
that growing taller,
and getting hairy wouldn't be that big of a deal.
A deeper voice would probably be pretty cool.
Being tall is helpful.
Ma is always asking Pops for help getting things off the top shelves.
Or he'd pick me up when I was little
so that I could see over the people in a crowd.
And hair
is just hair.
What's the harm in hair?
But now,
I'm actually going through puberty.
I don't want to talk in class
because my voice
keeps cracking
and everyone laughs when that happens.
And I can't sleep at night
because I'm in so much pain
from growing.
And I'm only getting hair
down there.
Not like my Pops,
his arms look like a lumberjack's
and his chest is like a carpet.
The guys on my team keep saying
it takes time.
That not everyone gets it right away.
That I'll end up just as muscular,
and hairy,
and deep voiced as they are.
They slap me on the back
and say
"The worst part is the awkward boners,
don't worry about this stuff."
I'm not sure I want to know what that means.