it was fifth grade
when i told a friend
a downstairs neighbor
in my apartment complex
that sometimes, sometimes
i wished that i was a boy

the next day, during recess
a friend of hers, a girl
who didn’t like me
told me that she knew
she stared into my eyes
and with a smirk, said
she knew my secret

i blanked my face
returned her stare
told her i didn’t know
what she was talking about
and walked away

and when the first girl tried
to apologize later on, i
told her i didn’t know
what she was talking about
and walked away