Twenty Sixteen

sucked.

I complain with my friends

"wow this year sucks"

Because it's the year I realized

we're all small

and so out of luck

 

Deaths and chaos

and violence and crises 

More deaths of our legends 

Christina's eyes went cold, icy

 

Divided brothers,

and sisterhoods too.

We forgot we're all human

The whole world went askew 

 

But then I remember

that I wouldn't grow

if it weren't for goodbyes

or adversity- or the lows.

 

In August, my parents 

packed up our bags 

We left our hometown

My childhood home

We packed up our bags

to go to Hong Kong

 

I hugged my friends in New York

We said "love you, bye"

I sat in my bathroom for hours to cry

We were gonna be Juniors, starting in fall

The year we all realize we're not juniors at all

 

This was the year that everyone changes

and I'm on the other

side of

Earth. 

 

But one day I woke up

I said it's okay

People say optimists aren't realists

But we are

 

There are pros and cons to every story

I learned it's my choice 

which side to look at

I choose to look at the sun 

 

Hong Kong is awesome

The food here is magic 

We live by the beach

It's relaxing, it's fun

 

My friends are so beautiful

And we talk every day.

8,000 miles and yet

we are closer 

 

They threw me a farewell surprise party

I walked in the door

They all jumped up, SCREAMED

I felt I could soar

 

I'm flying back for prom

I know it sounds stupid

but I'm not missing prom

That would be stupid 

 

I'm gonna surprise them at school

We will probably cry

Plus, they promised

to teach me to drive

 

This is the year

I learned that life begins

at the end of comfort zones

 

This is the year

I learned that I won't know what I have

until it's gone

 

This is the year 

I learned that humans are cool, but we're also dumb

Like- actually, purely dumb

But this is nothing new

All this political vomit

All this national division

I know we'll get through it

 

Life is tough, life doesn't wait

That's what this year taught me

That's how I've changed

I'm more mature, and I'm closer to God

I have lots to learn, and I'm very flawed

 

but 2017, and the rest of my life

has so much in store

I'm quite excited

to learn even more.