The Girl Gives a Grand Tour of Her Self Portrait, Age 6
Rebecca Macijeski
4 foot something
Head like a circle
Arms and legs good healthy lines
Hands, feet, skin, hair
Not sure how many pounds—the right amount
Shoes my sister already had
My other sister will get them next
Look at the teeth don’t they sparkle?
Notice the elbows and knees
—good for climbing trees
Blackberry juice on my shirt
I keep trying to eat the sun
Check my pocket for fireflies
I keep them in case the lights go out
Don’t worry—I’ll let them go tomorrow
They glow better when they feel the air on their wings
My ears are my favorite part
They’re like leaves
When I grow up
I’m going to be a tree.
Rebecca Macijeski
Rebecca Macijeski is the author of Autobiography (Split Rock Press, 2022). She holds a PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has attended residencies with The Ragdale Foundation, The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, and Art Farm Nebraska. A Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee, her poems have appeared in The Missouri Review, Poet Lore, Barrow Street, Nimrod, The Journal, Sycamore Review, Potomac Review, Puerto del Sol, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, Gargoyle, and many others. Rebecca is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Creative Writing Programs at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.