Jessica: An Inventory of Being

I am Jessica.
I am fifteen years old.

I’ve black hair that shines
Dark brown in the sunlight
Coupled with irises of dark brown as well.
Whether in a ponytail or pigtails
I act just the same.
Unwilling to grow up
Yet mature in a blink.

I stand not so tall
Except in fourth grade
While I had been growing
And others had not.
Then all caught up with me
And surpass me they did.
Now I look up to them
Instead of the other way around.

Always a student
Though never publicly enrolled.
I love to read,
And writing I can do.
Yet the ideas for penned work
Don’t always come easily to me.

My first love is books.
Stories of all kinds
Have passed through my head
Dragons and knights, and schoolgirl adventures
Can help me escape into their world.

Eldest child in my family
Yet among the youngest with my cousins.

Patient and responsible
Or so I’ve been told.
Too quiet at times
Or just quiet enough.

A lot of things go on in my mind
But that doesn’t mean everyone needs to hear about it.

Blasé and calm in the face of adversity,
I believe unnecessary worry
Is just another form of wasting energy.

It has been stated that I am good at oral speeches
Yet I hate public speaking.
I was extremely shy all through elementary
The quiet student everyone loved.

I learn through observing
Using my ears when others think I’m not listening
Silent I may be, but deaf I am not.

Professional procrastinator,
And always slow.
Though I’m still working hard
To kick that habit.

Intensely loyal if nothing else.
Even to the point of not
Wanting to throw away old possessions.

I may have been born at the end of the month,

But it’s the beginning of the year.

Looking younger than I truly am
With size 6 feet
And hands just as small
People are often surprised
When they learn my age.

I hate being too cold
As opposed to too hot.
‘Too hot’ never hurt me
While ‘too cold’ brought me the flu.

I like foods of all kinds
For I’m not especially picky.
No allergies, no skin problems,
They all got passed onto my brother.

My faith is my anchor
And can get me through anything.
I believe and trust in God
To stay by my side
Though thick and thin.

I detest waking up in the mornings,
Unless it’s to watch cartoons.
I love summer because I get to sleep in.
And get cranky when deprived of sleep.
Bedtime is when I can forget all my troubles,
Knowing it is a time designated for rest.
Worries and problems of the world
Vanish without a trace.

While others scream and run away,
At the mere sight of a spider,
I laugh at their antics,
Though I won’t touch it either.

Undecided about my future career
I never have known
And I suspect I won’t
Until the very last moment.
I live for the present,
Never thinking more than two weeks ahead.
Where I’ll be in five years
Is what my parents are pondering.

My name is Jessica, and this is 2004.