Not before

Not before
you climb on all the best roofs at uni,

not before you learn to cook
and learn to make, learn to be
someone's favourite dish,

and not until
you make your first brand new friend in sixth form.

Not sooner than
your full and glorious name is printed on
something published,

and not a second earlier than
you decide a song is 'your song' on a night out
or 'our song', on a big one.

Not in advance of
you telling a tiny version of you,
even if it's 2%, semi-skimmed you,
about things they can look forward to in life;

not prior to you, for instance,
hiding in a church from the rain,
crashing choir practice, with someone you love,

and not before you
meeting someone who for now
is being wonderful in space, just getting ready to meet you;

and not before so many things that
you can't expect the joy of
or expect, at all.

Not before Venice
or back from Venice
or before you've built on Venice
a new dream city,
and not until you've floated around that, too.

Not before someone's favourite poem
is you

and not before you've been read

and not before you've got up on stage
and sung the song of yourself.