Me and my friend were talking about a book
On the bus
The book was about
Rape
But we didn't say rape
We danced around the word
Because we were sitting with
My 12 year old sister
When I was 12 I knew what rape was
I knew
I knew all about that
I knew
But my sister is 8 or 9
Not 12
Not really
Because when she was a baby
She had a brain bleed
It fixed itself
But
Not before damage occurred
Not a lot
But enough
Because when she opens her mouth to speak
It sounds foreign
Not bad
But heavily accented
European
Is what people say
But not only that
She's immature
Delayed maturity
An 8 year old stuck in a 12 year old body
Aging so slow
It sounds like luxury
Like a dream
More years of running
Rampaging through the street
Playing with a ball
Until the streetlights turn on
Or playing with Barbie
Sewing new clothes to cover her plastic curves
And having her ride on a unicorn with a pink tail
Through a pan of water pretending it's a lake
And making her fall in love with Ken
Or maybe even
Midge
More years of innocence
More years of peace
YOU ARE READING
Here I'll shout
PoetryIt's hard for me to speak to here I'll shout In poems About being 14 sucks Especially in a pandemic With trauma And a genetic predisposition to mental illness And a strong urge to kick your ass And I'm not the only one so sharing my story will h...
