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