Seventeen
Seventeen means
I’m too young
It means I’m on the bottom rung
It means I’m just a kid
Who needs to keep a lid
On her beliefs
Because it might cause someone some grief
To know
That this kid didn’t buy a ticket to your show
This kid who’s never been alone
Has fire in her bones
She’s tired of stereotypes
And isn’t afraid to hit and bite
Though she’d rather sit and talk
She knows you’ll walk
Away from her
Because she’s seventeen
She knows life’s not the silver screen
But when you look at her
You see the executioner
Because as she creates her own space
You become displaced
You become obsolete
While she stands on her own two feet
She doesn’t need a hand to hold her steady
Because she’s ready
To take on the world
This seventeen year old girl