• Thirteen today!
    It's so exciting!
    A teenager at last
    I've been waiting thirteen years
    And now? Now what?

    Have I left my childhood behind?
    I'll make my own decisions-
    Choose my own clothes-
    Maybe get a part-time job
    And maybe even do what I want to do
    To dance my life away.
    That's probably what being older is all about

    But wait a second-
    I'll never be a child again
    To run and skip and jump,
    To climb trees with naughty boys,
    Tease my sisters,
    All for the fun.

    Life at thirteen is suddenly serious,
    Homework cannot be forgot
    Consequences wait for me.
    School marks start to matter.
    “Why did you do so badly in History”
    “Surely you can do better in Maths”

    Trouble is
    I can't go backwards.
    Everything's changed
    A new me stares from the mirror
    Who is it I see,
    Boo!!!
    My child?
    My adult?
    I'm halfway there,
    Betwixt and between,
    Thirteen today?