Waiting impatiently through the little moments
That make up the gaps between
The fun she expects of her existence
I know she cannot conceive
Of the years that will pile on before her

She lives as though it must be consumed at once
As though she knows her time is up
At age twelve

As hungry and determined
As an able-bodied thirty-something
Counting down the days to
Execution

Now, now, and now!
Waiting is painful
But it’s only a little lesson
On accepting time and its
Cold, finite terms and conditions