My childhood hero wasn't from the pages of a comic book
or the Saturday morning cartoons
although I did keep some comics around
(but mostly because I really wanted those sea monkeys advertised in the back)
and I did watch some cartoons
(because my brother and I were bored and School House Rock was cool)
My first childhood hero was Holden Caulfield
The Catcher In the Rye
As I read, I realized
I wasn't alone
For the first time, fiction
Validated me
The Catcher In the Rye caught me
right as I was at the edge
and I held on tight.
submitted for Thursday Think Tank #56 Reading at Poets United
