Awakenings

When I was six, we moved to a new town

And I met the boy down the road.

We became fast friends,

Partners in crime,

Explorers of the neighborhood,

And the bedroom.

When I was seven, he taught me how to swear

To say “heck” like I was hot stuff

To throw caution to the wind

And show my most intimate self.

When I was eight, we moved away

And the boy next door often visited

Because our parents were friends

And they believed the games we played

Were more innocent.

Year after year, we’d explore the boundaries.

Touching the sacred places,

Seeing what felt good

To our immature bodies.

When I was eleven, he got tired of me

Only wanting to touch, nothing more,

So he moved away

And left me with more questions.

When I was twelve, I started my period

In a religious household

Where sex was a forbidden word

And the “birds and bees” were my only education.

When I was thirteen, my breasts developed

I now had to wear bras and binders

So as not to draw attention

To the curves beneath my shirt.

When I was fourteen, I began to dream of boys

Dating, kissing,

Exploring the missing pieces

That my childhood friend could never quite reach.

When I was fifteen, I was fully a woman.

With a mind and style of my own

Obsessed with boys

But too shy to approach them.

Adults didn't have that fear

And I was once asked

While on a cruise with my family

"When wearing a two-peice, which peice do you wear?

The top, or the bottom?"

By a man old enough

To be my father.

When I was sixteen, I was more daring.

I wore a halter-top in public

That exposed my hidden curves

And made someone I respected

Call me a slut

When I was eighteen, I earned my first boyfriend.

He gave me my first kiss beneath the stars

And showed me what a man really felt like

When you touched him the right way,

But touching was all I would do.

When I was nineteen, I broke it off.

And met a man who taught me about passion

His fingers hitting every mark

But his bragging lips got in the way.

When I was twenty, I met my soulmate

A man whose virginity matched my own

So, we lost them together

And finally found our answers

Among the couch cushions.