Photo: Tiffany Bessire

When the dancers stood in rows I thought of desks, and one of the costumes reminded me of spikes on a dinosaur. It only takes one event for one's entire perception of the world to shatter.

The Little Boy with Dinosaur Feet

Inspired by BLKDOG

by Lizzie Wimberley

Inspired by BLKDOG

When they showed the picture on the news
Of the kid who came to
Inhale…
Click-
Pop!
His way through painted hallways
Sticky floors and mismatched tiles
He didn’t look fourteen
Even though he was.

His father gave him the gun
When I was little
Smaller than fourteen
Daddy gave me a pair of slippers that looked like dinosaur feet

Those slippers made me feel bigger than I was
Which I guess is what the gun did to him
Make him feel
Bigger
I mean

But maybe a pair of slippers would’ve served him better
Because Daddy didn’t scare me when he gave me those

When they showed the picture on the news
Of the kid whose daddy told him to just
Inhale…

Click-

Pop.

aim, pull, don’t stop

That heap of
Unblemished skin
Glazy eyes, afraid to see
That twitching, pulling finger
Bringer
Of so many fathers’ tears

Inhale…

I just couldn’t help but wonder
If he was once a little boy
With dinosaur feet.

About

Lizzie Wimberley

Lizzie Wimberley is a sophomore at Harpeth Hall and spends most of her time in the theater building; rarely seeing the light of day. When she is not performing, she enjoys mountain biking, environmental activism, singing, and writing: an activity that has allowed her to explore all the other passions she has not been able to fully dig into. Lizzie is also a member of Harpeth Hall’s Green Club and Nashville Theater School’s High School Artists. "She will never be satisfied."

Art Wire is an ongoing creative writing fellowship from OZ Arts and The Porch. Each performance season, a cohort of writers is selected via application to attend a variety of OZ Arts presentations and respond to each work through original writing that is personal, playful, and deeply engaged.

Throughout the season, original Art Wire writings will be added to this website, showcasing the inspiration and interpretations captured by this year's cohort.