Sweet Sixteen



Bought my first
Bra with rosebuds,
From Woolies,
A big girl
At 10.

Showed it
With pride,
To the boy-upstairs,
Who, unimpressed,
Carried on with
His Meccano set.

My first defeat
In the game
Of love.

Then came
The first kiss,
In Jerusalem
In a hotel lift,
With the lift-boy.

I'd told him
I was sweet sixteen,
But really
Only a chubby,
Ten year-old.
A big girl.

He never knew
The truth,
And I never
Replied to his
Postcard.

Every Wednesday afternoon,
I played hookey
Instead of hockey.
My mother oblivious,
My father overworked,
I had free rein.

Went to Battersea,
To celebrate
My eleventh,
With two 13 year-olds
Who spat into their
Mascara blocks
And frantically
Brushed their
Smouldering lashes.

I was in awe
Of the "big girls"
And gladly paid
For all their rides,
And when they
Picked up three
Rude boys,
I got
The ugly one.

Three - nil
To love.





Poetry by Esti D-G The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 888 times
star mini Editors' choice
Written on 2010-11-20 at 19:31

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Editorial Team The PoetBay support member heart!
From 26 October to today, 27 Nov, we asked for the community to select their favorite poems/texts on PB, dated from 2005 to today. This text has been chosen to be featured on the home page of PoetBay. Thank you for posting it on our poetry website!
2017-11-27


Stan Cooper The PoetBay support member heart!
Hi Esti...

Sounds like you enjoyed a very exciting adolescence...
I'm just sorry I wasn't the boy on the lift

fun poem

xxx Stan
2010-11-25


NicholasG
The metamorphosis from Child to young adult never goes the way Disney would have us believe. If they'd have added another bit of underclothing when puberty arrived, I would be a far better recluse today!
:-) Nick
2010-11-21


Mklnay
This is such an adorably sweet poem.. The awkwardness of the transition between childhood and adolescence, and always wanting to be seen as older. X3 Loved the read!
2010-11-21


jenks The PoetBay support member heart!
This is so funnily real Esti:)
I like how you have been sparing and yet so evocotive.
Spitting on mascara!
I remember watching that too :)
Enjoyed.
2010-11-21


shells
Still smiling after this one, the realism of the throes of womanhood.
2010-11-21


ken d williams The PoetBay support member heart!
The road of adolescence , never runs smooth. Many a bruised gender ego's a long the way.
Ken
2010-11-20


John Ashleigh
A lovely trip through your memories - I find social poetry very relaxing. thankyou for sharing!

regards,
John.
2010-11-20


Esti D-G The PoetBay support member heart!
Well spotted! I forgot that I had already written about my first kiss in 2007!
2010-11-20



what a fresh breeze..i remember the lift-boy story, you mentionned it in one of your previous poems or maybe you reposted it
2010-11-20