When I was a boy
I wasn't
I wasn't a little girl

I was a miniature adult
Who didn't quite understand
Why people said things they didn't mean
And it was to be nice

Why I knew that my friend’s mother had been molested by her father
When I was only eight

I was so afraid of the dark
No one talked me out of it
But I felt it was important to turn off the light
And so I did

There were no monsters
Just people
And they were hell
I learned to defend myself
So that I didn't have to fight

Except against my self

And I keep losing

But at least I can protect everyone else from me