I remember gagging because the jello edges were hard

I remember licking the chocolate pudding spoon

I remember the crunching apples and nuts in my grandma’s strudel

I remember watching my father lather and shave and bleed from cutting himself

I remember walking to elementary school during a blizzard

And feeling like my ears were frozen and falling off

I remember stirring a root beer float so it became a shake

I remember seeing my first broadway show Bye Bye Birdie

I remember only wanting to go to restaurants where the salad and soup was included in the meal

I remember putting books on my bottom so I wouldn’t feel the spanking my dad gave me

I remember never wanting to wear new clothes because I thought they would get ruined

I remember watching howdy doody time

I remember being jealous of my neighbors that celebrated Christmas with tons of gifts

I remember only getting one dinky gift per night during Chanukah

I remember shoveling snow before it turned to ice so the driveway wasn’t trapped

I remember being bullied in Provincetown and thrown to the ground

I remember boys spitting on me and punching me in the stomach

I remember being called a sissy

I remember my father telling me to walk straight

I remember my father buying me the Supreme’s song “come see about me” when I was sick

I remember kissing the grave of my grandfather in St. Louis and how proud my dad was

I remember being made fun of because I threw a ball like a girl

I remember being frightened by loud noises and covering my ears

I remember hating gun shots

I remember eating so much food I had to loosen my belt

I remember wanting to build an electric car

I remember my sister called my bike a Cadillac because it was nicer than hers

I remember taking the bus to Hebrew school

I remember my neighbor saying that Jews killed Jesus

I remember being scared to climb the stairs to my bedroom on the dark stairway