I AM A 90S GIRL

I am the child of cut jeans. I am the child of bare feet in the grass. I am the child of sour cherries
and bruised knees.
I fell in loe !ith ice cream cones" !orm" steam# bread and marmalade donuts.
I ran the slo!est" but I al!a#s saed the da# at $ide and Seek.
I liked l#ing and occasionall# sticking m# nose in other %eo%les business. I liked %retending to
be s%oiled and I liked s%illing the beans from time to time. I gae m#self too much im%ortance.
I learned to be different and serious from &e'ter and his Laborator#" but I %racticed &ee &ees
stu%id dance eer# da#. I learned ho! to bo!l !ith st#le from (red (linstone and I !ished I
could also hae a dinosaur in m# kitchen !ashing m# dishes. I kne! ho! to talk like Scoob#"
like )ugs and &aff#" like S#lester and *!eet#. I understood +nglish better than an adult.
I belieed for a er# long time that #ou could start a car !ith #our feet. I !as sur%rised #ears
later" not to be that far from the truth.
I thought che!ing gum sticks #our intestines together and that nails gro! on #our tongue once
#ou tr# to bite them off. I thought bats get caught in #our hair and if #ou suck the blood out of a
!ound" it !ould come back to the %lace !here it left.
I rooted for *om" not ,err# and I ho%ed that once" just once" -ile +. .o#ote !ould enjo# a decent
dinner.
I !as coninced that if I thought onl# of the nicest things %ossible" I !ould gentl# lift m#self u%
in the air" and /eter /an !ould take me to 0eerland" foreer. Ie been there.
Ie been a /o!er Ranger" a Sailor Moon" a 0inja *urtle" Ie been a !i1ard" a %irate" a s%#" a
S%ice Girl and I can still conjure a 2amehameha -ae.
I !as dee%l# coninced that if the !orld !as eer in danger" )ruce" .huck" Arnold and Stalone
!ould sae us from doom an# time. Ie silentl# !atched heroes get old and scattering like sand
in an unmerciful hourglass.
I e3uall# adored A'l Rose and .obain" but I definitel# !ould hae married )rad /itt in 4Legends
of the (all5. I !as ho%ing one da#" Ill hae Alanis Morissettes long beautiful hair" !hile the
bo#s from +'treme !ill %la# 4More than !ords5 in m# honor.
I !as coninced I !ill ho%elessl# fall in loe !ith a shagg# rocker on a motorc#cle" !earing
leather %ants" kissing me %assionatel# on the li%s like In those oer6emotional soa%6o%eras.
$o%elessl#7 Like Richard Gere and ,ulia Roberts" like ,ack and Rose" like $arr# and Sall#" like
)eaut# and the )east" like Scarlet 8$ara and the gallant man !ith big ears and st#lish mustache"
like (orrest Gum%. And it did turn out to be a bo' of chocolates.
I learned to !ait for &isne# moies on 9.R" like I !as !aiting for .hristmas. I %atientl#
%olished m# shoes before eer# im%ortant celebration that inoled %resents" and I remembered
in time that it is im%ortant to share !ith others the biscuits and oranges that #ou receied.
I collected cars from *urbo" I coered m#self in loll#%o% tattoos" I che!ed a one meter gum and
I made huge balloons that sticked to m# hair and m# memor# to this da#.
I neer liked shutting u% and I loed bragging !ith the 4naked ladies5 maga1ines m# brother used
to hide. I thought the glitter# rubber balls and condoms !ere the e'act same thing.
I" man# times" lost the ke# around m# neck. Same stor# ha%%ened !ith the mone# to bu# bread"
that I used to safe6kee% in m# socks.
I had nightmares !ith $annibal Lecter and (redd# 2ruger. I stared at %osters !ith Loren1o
Lamas and I %racticed side s%lits on t!o chairs like 9an &amme.
I !as fearless. I chased bo#s !ith ball guns" I thre! !ater balloons at neighbors !ithout merc#"
and I ri%%ed m# %ants !ith %ride" tr#ing to get oer a half6a6meter fence in order to steal cherries.
I shot ducks" cans and co!bo#s on *9 and I hit Marios head on bricks endlessl#.
I lied incredible domestic adentures" tr#ing to aoid ste%%ing on the car%et in the liing room
that !as made of laa" and building houses of sheets around the a%artment. )o#s access !as
obiousl#" (orbidden. At least once" I !as a billionaire at Mono%ol#" but I eentuall# s%ent all
m# 4mone#5 on the latest collection of clothes for dolls.
I sang. An#time" an#!here" an#ho!. I had I great ariet# of micro%hones: from the remote" to the
fork" the hair brush" the %en" a stick or sim%l# a clenched fist. I made eerlasting holes in the
as%halt !ith lines of chalk in the sha%e of a $o%scotch" and I tried to cheat using er# big rocks. I
lost.
I belieed in m#self. I thought I could !in eer#ones coins and that I could make the cute bo#
on the bike" ask for m# friendshi%.
I listened to folk music !ith great seriousness and I heroicall# fell aslee% !ith m# head on the
%icku%" !hile a gentle oice !as !his%ering the greatest stor# eer told. I danced in the summer
storms" I had mud fights" and I looked for the end of the rainbo! !hen the rain !as done. I neer
caught a le%rechaun" but Ie seen at least t!o.
I kne! the Good !ill al!a#s defeat +il. I kne! #ou must neer sa# 4I dont kno!5" I kne! #ou
must not kee% #our elbo!s on the table" #ou must not %ick #our nose in %ublic" I kne! #ou must
be brae !hen an unkno!n %erson tries to %ull out #our front teeth !ith a fine thread.
I ho%ed one can e'ceed at the techni3ue of the s!ing. I lamentabl#" fell.
I thought m# grand%arents !ill lie foreer. I !as !rong. I thought I !ill al!a#s be able to let
m#self be carried in m# %arents arms. I !as !rong again.
I cried and I #elled. $undreds and thousands of times. I kne! !ho I !as. I !as ashamed.
I gre!. I blindl#" endlessl# ran eer#!here" chasing shado!s" stories" tragedies. I came back
home eer# time. /oorer" ghostlier" em%tier inside" indifferent" an'ious" sadder" meaner7
I learned I !as not able to forget m# childhood. *he least I could do. I did not forget.
I am the child of the reolution. I am the lonel# scream of the last generation of children.