The Present
Birth
Overwhelming and unremembered
Completely dependent and not yet aware
of all that my new life now required
So much potential
in a body so small
So much to do
and so many ways to fail
Learning to crawl
and learning to walk
Falling
and failing
Will it ever stop?
Elementary
My shoes do not match
but I picked them myself
My spelling isn’t perfect
but I’m writing by myself
My parents try to warn me
“Slow down!”
But I keep running
and running and running
Because walking is for toddlers
and I’m almost grown up!
There’s so much to do
and so much to see!
Come, be my friend,
Explore the world with me!
Middle School
Tragic, that’s all I have to say
My nose is too big
And my hair is too thick
Who would like me anyway?
Our first dance is upcoming
But who would ask me?
I’m not the first pick
but at least I’m not last
My circle keeps diminishing
I thought they were my friends
but I guess I was wrong?
Who knew that friendship
was only as valuable
as the brand that you wore
High School
To stand out
or blend in
That ‘tis the question.
Am I cool?
Am I popular?
Who is looking at me now?
Prom themes and Pythagorean theorems
First kisses and final exams
So many iconic moments
and too quickly gone
But in college there is freedom!
No curfews, no parents
Living the dream
Or so they say, right?
College
WTF.
This 8am class was a mistake
But the party last night was fun
I think
From bills and brokenhearts
What happened to living the dream?
I wanted freedom! A future!
Not ramen and hangovers
Whew! It’s payday
Who is ‘FICA’
and why does he get all my money?
At least F.R.I.E.N.D.S. understand
Another Netflix and chill
means one more not so lonely night
Maybe one day
I’ll understand this whole adulting thing
or at least I’ll finally know
what the bristled vacuum attachment
was intended for
So now it is the present
and I am ever so curious
Why am I so infatuated
with the present tense
It’s always changing
And never consistent
Sometimes it’s good
and other times not
Perhaps because I am the same
I am always changing
Sometimes for good
and other times not
But I must persist
to become the person
that Yesterday was not
Always changing
Ever growing
So just don’t give up