I imagine myself
leaving this place,
finally but unfortunately.
I don't see a better option,
but what exactly do I know?
Nothing of significance,
what am I supposed to do?
I can't travel by myself,
having such a young face.
No one understands how old I feel,
or how frustrated I get when
people treat me like I'm two.
People would relegate me
if I tried to fit into their world.
Simply by appearance,
I would be torn apart.
There are always exceptions,
of course.
Like the old man on the train
who would comment on my reading selection
and start a conversation about
his favorite works.
I would smile.
But, I'm talking about the man
in the ticketing booth
who would give me a snarl,
and say,
"Only adults can purchase a ticket. "
I'm talking about the dirty looks
I'd be shot with,
simply by walking down the street.
I'm talking about the people
who ask questions like,
"Are you sure you're old enough for that?"
I'm talking about the people
who have diliberately blocked out
"my generation".
Just another label
closed minded people
who think they have authority simply
because they've walked the damn earth
just a little longer have made
to separate themselves from "us".
But my soul has been around awhile.
There are things people my age
don't understand, but somehow,
I do.
I understand concepts
some people may never understand,
even if they have years of life experience.
But that's not an excuse for people
to ridicule me just because
they can't seem to remember
they were my age once too.
They're just masking me
with their own frustrations
towards themselves when
they were young.
So before you try to correct me,
or tell me I'm "too young",
maybe you should step back
and actually
look
at
me.
I'm not your mask,
never have been,
never will be.
