i was nine years old at the time

i was

maybe nine years old

when it happened,

when

i tried to hold the hand

of Linda

Baker,

a little blonde haired

girl with a pony

tail

and blue eyes,

who eventually moved

to Florida.

i remember

how she screamed at me,

then ran.

have i thought about that

moment much

through

the years? yes, i have,

nearly every day.