My Closet

My closet used to be a spaceship.
A spaceship with one chair,
A single lamp,
And maybe some stuffed animals
Who kept me company on my long journeys to Naboo, Tatooine, or maybe even Bajor.
My closet used to be a fort.
A fort bigger than my house, and stronger than,
A place that helped me fight the angry rebels off when they attacked,
A place that would support me when I was in trouble.
My closet used to be a clubhouse.
A clubhouse where I took my friends,
And we could play games.
Games like Mancala, cards,
Or house, where I would be the Mom, of course.
My closet used to be a place where I could hide.
A place where I could close the doors and pretend nothing bad ever happened.
A place where I’d cry like a baby,
Scream like a child,
And hide like a coward,
Then everything would be okay.
My closet used to be a private place--for I had no lock on my door.
A private place where I could talk to my friend on the phone without anyone else hearing,
Where I could complain about everything I hated and no one would overhear.
I could write in my journal,
Listen to music,
Or just talk to myself without people thinking I’m crazy.
Now my closet is a closet.
Filled with my old stuffed animals who carry the memories we had together on Naboo,
Clothes, neatly organized by color and type,
Trophies and awards from the good old days, neatly organized on a shelf,
Collecting dust, their memories swiftly fading away,
Shoes,
A flat soccer ball,
A flat basketball,
A lacrosse stick,
A barely used, too small, almost broken umbrella,
FeBreeze, for my overused, way-too-stinky athletic equipment,
And other various, insignificant items, that I rarely ever use.
My closet is no longer a place of adventure,
Nor a place I can hide,
Nor place I can cry.
It is no longer fun,
Or as large as it used to seem.
I have grown up, and I’m scared.
Scared of the responsibility,
Scared of the future.
I wish I could still turn something completely ordinary
Into something with a million possibilities,
But I can’t.
It’s time to be responsible.
It’s time to do my schoolwork,
Get good grades,
Feed the dogs,
Make my bed everyday and clean my room,
Get my license,
Pay for gas and insurance,
Find a way to pay for gas and insurance,
Manage my own money,
And get into a good college.
I would like nothing more to be able to go back to the days where I could confide in my closet.
My spaceship-fort-clubhouse-reading-singing-gossiping-crying-hiding-private-castle closet.