Super Mario Brothers and grilled cheese tonight.

Dance recital tomorrow, a picnic table for a stage.

But while we slept, remembering Nintendo

and anticipating sequins, a message crept out of me.

Bold red spots against a white cotton background.

A banner of fertility. A systems check.

And in the morning, while my friends stretched

shiny sequined fringed skirts over skin

encasing sleeping ovaries, I stayed in my pajamas

and waited for my mother.