Recently Soph asked, after what was evidently a confusing viewing of the film Inside Out, “What’s puberty?”
Well may you ask.
The quickest – and the slowest – answer is
“Oh, you’ll find out.” And, honestly, you will.
And there is no way for me to describe
In any way that will make sense to you,
The way you will become a hormone factory.
Change size and shape and mood. Grow, and grow hair
Where no hair was before. How you will learn
To love and also hate, and with such force
That seven years has no way to imagine.
So I’ll just say: there lives, inside of you,
A grown up who is waiting to break free
And it will not be easy. You will cry
And laugh, and shout and cry and laugh again.
But when you meet that grown up, face to face,
You’ll find that it was worth it. You’ll find out.
Tom Juniper Poetry 