Orphan girls don’t like lilies
When you get to the orphanage they’ll tell you, “Your number is five.”
It’s what they’ll use to keep track of everything that’s yours.
They don’t tell you that the number is the only thing you’ll always own.
It will become your family’s number for generations to come –
the one your grandchildren will use on jerseys, lottery tickets, and secret passwords.
When you get to the orphanage they’ll fit you in the attic for new shoes.
Once a month you’ll line up by size and rotate to the left.
This is the system they use so that everyone can get a bigger pair.
Except for the smallest one in the home –
They don’t tell you who gives her new shoes.
When you get to the orphanage the easter lilies will still be in full bloom.
A few weeks earlier you buried the closest thing you had to a father.
You tossed the same flowers down into the earth with him.
They don’t tell you why orphan girls don’t like lilies –
because you already know.
Kassie Shanafelt is a social media manager based out of Brooklyn, NY. She loves mangos, Siamese cats, and people who curse as much as they breathe. You can find most of her creative projects at millennialpinkofficial.com
