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