Tall

Eager for the future and wistful for the past Did four year old me know I would envy her so? Age is not just a number, it is a burden The slope of my shoulders, the lines of my frown My vantage point has changed now that I’m tall And I’m old and I’m tired and I’m only seventeen I can’t vote, I can’t drink, I can’t speak for myself My body is owned by another person Which is just as well because this body does not feel like mine I absentmindedly pull off my skin and discard it Courage is a currency that is easy to fake So yes, I am steady and tall and strong and grown Do not pull back the curtain, it is all that is left To protect the precious nothing that is mine I will stand up tall and carry my burdens I have so much left to endure