Amanda Chiado<\/p>\n
I pledge allegiance to the war
\nagainst the United Faces of Adulthood.
\nMy hand is on my Juicy Fruit,
\npocket full of rubber band bullets,
\nbody equal parts blood, courage
\nand Crush, orange soda.<\/p>\n
And to the parents who know
\nno better, fed by their curiosity
\nfor button up shirts. For which I stand?
\nI\u2019m not sure, but I stand and curse
\nfor the very first time. Damn<\/i>.<\/p>\n
I fight for the banana seat on my bike,
\nfor the freedom in Bazooka comics.
\nI fight for my tree house with the sign:
\n No Boys Allowed.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t you tell a soul.
\nThat hole in the ground,
\ndug in the deep wet of my backyard
\nto the left of my swing set —
\nIt holds my secret coffee can,
\nmy quiet, collected liberty.<\/p>\n
You pinky swear, I tell you,
\nor they\u2019ll find us, and beat us
\nwith leather belts in the name of justice,
\nand they’ll make us
\ngrow up.<\/p>\n
AMANDA CHIADO <\/b>is an MFA graduate of California College of the Arts. Her work is forthcoming or appears in Witness<\/i>, Sweet<\/i>, Forklift<\/i>, Ohio<\/i>, Best New Poets<\/i>, Fence<\/i>, Cranky<\/i>, Eleven Eleven<\/i> and others. She currently works as the Program Coordinator for the San Benito County Arts Council and she is also an active California Poet in the Schools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Amanda Chiado I pledge allegiance to the war against the United Faces of Adulthood. My hand is on my Juicy Fruit, pocket full of rubber band bullets, body equal parts blood, courage and Crush, orange soda. And to the parents … Continue reading