As youngest among us, but small no more,
Your life can be trying, for we have the chore
Of becoming your teachers, a terrible bore.
“We’ve got experience! Take it from me!”
“We’ve done this all before, you see.
We know the ropes, we know the game.”
Since time immemorial, always the same.
One’s own shortcomings are nothing but fluff,
But everyone else’s are heavier stuff.
Faultfinding comes easy when this is our plight,
But it’s hard for your parents, try as they might
To treat you with fairness, and kindness as well;
Nitpicking’s a habit that’s hard to dispel.
When you’re living with old folks, all you can do
Is put up with their nagging—it’s hard but it’s true.
The pill may be bitter, but down it must go,
For it’s meant to keep the peace, you know.
The many months here have not been in vain,
Since wasting time goes against your grain.
You read and study nearly all the day,
Determined to chase the boredom away.
The more difficult question, much harder to bear,
Is “What on earth do I have to wear?
I’ve got no more panties, my clothes are too tight,
My shirt is a loincloth, I’m really a sight!
To put on my shoes I must cut off my toes,
Oh dear, I’m plagued with so many woes!”
*
Source ~ Anne Frank the diary of a young girl
Daniel Bran Griffith - The Chattering Magpie 