Chances Taken

"We're moving" they told me.

Too young to protest, I packed up the memories I'd acquired.

Loaded up the car, the pets.

Trecking for 15 hours with no clue what was ahead,

Only what little I had left behind...

 

"Fresh start", they told me.

New sights, sounds, surroundings.

Foreign faces, foreign school.

"She talks funny" they said.

I tried to understand what was "funny" about my talking...

 

"This doesn't change anything" they told me.

But shattered dreams, became screaming nightmares.

My familiar home now lacerated in two.

One weekend here, one weekend there.

Well, at least this means two Christmas's...
 

 

"You're suffering from depression" they told me.

Endless hopelessness, a dark era in my memories.

Doctors visits, talking to strangers about my feelings.

I felt myself shutting off from those who cared.

But I was stronger than I even knew...

 

"High school will be great" they told me.

No mention of awkward encounters.

My many clumsy spills walking to class.

I'm still finding scars from those wipeouts,

But they are part of my story...

 

"Be careful" they told me.

First love, fierce feelings.

Shattered and stunned when I heard. 

Cheating had no meaning until that day.

I picked up the broken pieces, and forced myself back together...

 

"You're really growing up" they told me.

Off to a new place, a new chapter of my life.

College came with a wave of new knowledge.

Life lessons learned the hard way, mistakes made.

I learned more in that year than all of the previous ones...

 

"You're making the best choice" they said.

It felt like surrender to me.

Moving back home, while leaving part of my heart behind.

Work became priority over school, leaving me lost.

I moved back with a determination to push forward...

 

"I'm moving out" I said.

It's time I tried this life thing on my own again.

Saved up the deposits, and got my first place.

Supporting myself seemed like a milestone in my book.

I was making my way all on my own...

 

"Something is missing" I said.

Working just to work, just wasn't working out.

Nothing was keeping me here I thought, 

So why stay?

Questions I asked myself were soon to be answered...

 

"We're gonna miss you" they said.

I packed up my car, and filled up my gas tank.

13 hour drive alone, not sure what lay ahead of me.

Back to where it all started, back to my roots.

It seemed a risk worth taking...

 

"We're so excited to have you" they said.

Reunited with extended family,

Fresh starts and fresh faces.

The sky is the limit here,

And from where I sat, there was no limit...

 

"You can hang out with me" she said.

One genuine soul recognized another.

New friendships when I least expected them.

A bond so strong, it's as if we'd known each other our whole lives.

I was so grateful to be welcomed, I became myself again...

 

"Go talk to him" she said.

An attractive face that just happened to be her relative...

I can't, I'm too shy.

A shove from behind sends me in his direction, 

And a normal night turned into one to rememeber...

 

"This is so hard" he said.

Neither of us knew how to handle the distance...

He was going off to school while I lingered behind.

No questions answered, no obvious solutions.

I could only hope for the best, and let it play out.

 

"I love you" he said....

Tears welling up in my eyes, tears of joy.

Returned words meant returned feelings.

Absense made our hearts grow fonder...

And now My heart is full...

 

"Take chances" I say

Life will throw you in every direction,

And when you're doubting your purpose, your ultiimate path,

Just know that it takes going through darkness,

To value the awesome light.

 

 

 

 

This poem is about: 
Me
My family

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