"Girlhood"

 I used to pretend I was a little girl still,

And found it was easier so.

I still longed for all the fancies and thrills,

My girlish imagination could know.

The world appeared frightening, drab, and vast.

So exacting, harsh, and hard.

I could not bear to grow up fast,

And watch all my dreams become marred.

Yet still did the sorrows come,

Which lay girlhood aside,

Yet I found dreams could still flourish

And a sense of wonder survive.

I no longer pretend I'm a little girl,

And I find I am happier so,

And as I watch my life unfurl,

Even bittersweet, its a joy to know.