I'm a child, but I'm not
I'm not a woman
Yet I am
I am 7, 13, 18, 36, 72
I am afraid of the world
Hiding behind my hands
If I can't see them, then maybe they won't see me
I am just starting out
I'm seasoned
I've had to be a mother
I still need mothering
The words have been here for centuries
I, a decade, nearly two
I am cynical
I am needy
I have loved
The winds have weathered my soul
Skin young, heart confused
I'm grown, but I'm not
I have seen
I know
I know more than they do
More than they think I do
I am a woman
I am a child
The world has lengthened my years
I am ancient