Only Sixteen
She was only sixteen
They said
Her juvenile notions but fleeting
Extinguishable by a puff
of clandestine condemnation
Like sixteen candles
Stuck helplessly
On vanilla sponge
with cream
She was only sixteen…
Caught at the mercy
of life so confounding
Deceit and damnation
The only maiden offering
Her will torn
Dismembered
Anchored in roots
….turned rotten
Whilst visions in shades of joy
and hope
Flickered mercilessly around her head
…I was only sixteen
Colleen DuBois ~ Reflections of Me 
Welcome back Colleen,
16 is a long way back now.. it seems you’re describing an upheaval in a young girtl’s life.. legally an adult but too juvenile to enter the jungle in safety, is that it?
January 9, 2011 at 7:07 am
Hi Tiger, Yes that’s it in a nutshell. The dilemma of a youth stuck in a life that suffocates rather than encourages, whilst hope for the possibilities of a joyous future dangle teasingly out of reach. And written from my personal experience of journeying towards the realisation I could summon the strength to free myself of the stranglehold …all those years ago (thanks for reminding me how far back that was ! haha!)
Thanks for visiting 🙂
January 9, 2011 at 11:27 am
Memory-poems to pierce our hearts, from the brave heart of the young woman who survived them.
Wow!
January 9, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Thank you Pam 🙂
January 14, 2011 at 11:11 am
Hey! It’s great to see you back at it, Colleen!
From rotten roots to shades of joy, you shine mercifully!
My daughter turned 16 just a month ago.
The ups and downs of adolescence, she knows quite well.
‘Tis nice to see you again. Take care! Keith
January 10, 2011 at 2:04 am
My daughter turned sixteen on Christmas day. I think this was the impetus for reflecting upon my own circumstances at that age. I am so happy her experience is so much “lighter” and that she is surrounded with love and support. It’s a tough time of life for sure !
January 14, 2011 at 11:14 am
Welcome back Colleen. Keep up with you on FB so you haven’t been gone, but I have so missed your beautiful, poignant poetry about life and love and all in between.
January 14, 2011 at 11:47 pm