Twelve

Me as a twelve-year-old
That’s not too hard to imagine
The years in between leave me stone cold
Now I’m beginning to get to know myself again
But at the same time my views have changed
Although the questions I ask are still the same
When I was seven I asked: “Who made God?”
Around sixteen, I asked myself
“If people are so rational, what do we need governments for?”
Will anyone give me any answers at seventy?
At twelve, no-one seemed to give me any answers
At school, I was asked a lot of questions
Wasn’t that my job?
All I learned was to know my place and a lot of rude words
At 70, I hope I’m still asking
(14.10.2005)