2016
was the year of my future.
No longer considered a child
shielded by my mother,
I was being forced into the real world.
"Start thinking about college," they said.
"Make sure to start working," they said.
"Now is the time to grow up," they said.
But my childhood self
was still wedged in between my rib cage,
begging me to stay forever young.
Because the real world
is where being independent is a necessity,
and is also the recipe
to success.