Recess

I am not a wild woman,
I am a tired woman,
A “give me a minute,”
stressed and wired woman.

Where did she go,
That wild and free girl?
That used to be me girl?

I watch my children play –
their wild and crazy seems to say:
“That little girl is still inside you,
Come join us, we’ll remind you!”

It feels risky to believe them –
when taught pleasure to condemn.
But that girl, she whispers loudly
And presents ideas proudly:

“Maybe thirty’s not too old,
this story’s not yet told,
and there’s no rule that says grown women
can’t enjoy the things they’re given.”

---

Annelise Roberts finds time to write in the margins of being a wife, mother to four young boys and, most recently, homeschooling them. Most of her writing begins as notes typed into her phone under a sleeping or nursing child. Writing has been her lifeline through years of recovery, and is group therapy for her inner committee. She is more certain of fewer things than ever, but persists in looking for truth and beauty. She tells her stories because learning you’re not the only one is a powerful antidote to shame. She is passionate about many things in life, constantly learning, and enjoys nothing more than a still house and her first cup of morning coffee. You can find more of her writing at https://whatexactlyamidoing.wordpress.com.