TempusFugitive1

There was a girl from Kiev who I knew, Or at least I thought I did. With a grin that could kill And hair that flowed And eyes that could sharpen Diamonds. There was a girl from Berlin I once knew, Who played amidst the wind. She travelled and laughed And gave up the dream Of tying her feet to the Ground. There is a girl from here I know, Or at least I think I do. She painted the world With her wondrous hands Splayed for the world To see.

I memorized my first book at the age of three. Eric Carle, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". It's the story of a single, unremarkable caterpillar with an appetite for exotic fruits. I, a small unremarkable child with an appetite for stories, could relate. The story of my sudden memorization has been told a thousand times to family, friends, and surprised but polite strangers. Though I could not read at the time, I loved the story so much, that I matched my mother's soothing words to symbols and characters on the page. My mom taught Junior Achievement at the time to a 2nd grass class, just beginning to learn their letters. She brought me in, s