My Poetry

Mature

'You're so mature for your age'
I was always told.
By peers, colleagues, teachers, friends, my parents.
Was I really though?
Was I mature or was I placed with burdens too young for my soul to hold?
The oldest sibling,
Second parent,
Role model.
I had to mold myself to fit the roles.
An actor that played 3 characters in one show.
Where was there time for me to be a kid?
Told to act like an adult or I'd be berated for being childish.
Though always being treated as a child.
It's confusing for a young mind.
I was betrayed by my childhood.
It slipped away far too soon,
Like a regretful hookup and waking up to an empty bed.
So call me mature for my age again,
But this time think why that could be.