The problem is that it’s too pristine
too white, snow white,
bleached my blue shirt white, white.
Even the crisp corners on my 8 ½ x 11 inch enemy
taunt me.

     Draw what inspires you…
     Write what comes to mind when you think about…

What inspires me is the idea of going home empty handed,
my backpack, all the colors of a rainbow-streaked mud puddle
Sagging low and burden less— that’s what inspires me.

What comes mind?
What comes to mind when I see this blank page is anything but.
What comes to mind is the afterschool lineup:
The Golden Girls, Friends, Seinfeld, Reba.

What comes to mind are those scrumptious
mini muffins waiting on the cupboard, next to the Doritos,
the very same mini muffins whose crumbs will soon bury this blank page
like the sands of time as I stare at all this nothingness.

The problem is
that after all of this
I have these words, on this page
that somehow isn’t so blank anymore.