I Was A Child

I may have thought
I may have felt
My perception may
Have been that
I was a grown-up

They may have seen
They may have felt
Their expectations of me
May have been that
I was a grown-up

Hear me now; Listen
Carefully, I was only
Four foot tall, weighed
Only seventy-five pounds
I was a child

My chest was flat
My skin baby soft
I had yet to shave
Puberty years away
I was a child

I was betrayed, not
Because of stupidity
Or because I was
Dirty or evil but
Because I was a child

-Betsy-
August 1989