Junior Rockhound

I used to gather rocks I found

by the side of the road

and take them home

to add to my collection.

I liked to keep them inside

of empty egg cartons

and display my favorites

on my bedroom windowsill.

The jagged rock with bits of mica,

the flat stone with rounded edges,

and the brown one with white lines across it,

forming layers like frosting

in a slice of chocolate cake.

---

Caitlin O’Halloran is a biracial Filipino-American writer living in Rochester, New York. Her poetry has been published in literary magazines, including ONE ART, Third Wednesday, and Panoply. Her poems also appear in the anthology, Tiny Moments Vol. V (Bronze Bird Books). www.caitlinohalloran.com