Next Thing You Know | Teen Ink

Next Thing You Know

February 26, 2024
By miranda-m SILVER, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
miranda-m SILVER, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
5 articles 0 photos 7 comments

You can’t predict the future

You won't have a clue 

Many things can happen

They come right out of the blue 

Some could be a good change 

Others not so much


But you wouldn’t know

You couldn’t know 

Some things you can’t anticipate

But always keep in mind 

Your life could change in the blink of an eye


Next thing you know 

You watch the life drain away 

From a pet and loved one 

Then you wake up one morning 

And your whole life is changed 

Turned upside down 

Unable to tell left from right 

Or what happened to cause this misery 

But the worst part was 

You had to watch them fade away


Next thing you know 

You have a terrible fall 

Horses are unpredictable

Yet you choose to trust them with your life 

The blood is rushing in your ears 

And you can't seem to breathe 

You hit a wall before the ground

Thank goodness the helmet was on 

Then your younger sibling follows your footsteps 

Next thing you know you’re saying goodbye to a beloved animal


Next thing you know 

You are having fun at practice 

The opponents just arrived 

You toss up the ball for your serve

Warming up your arm

The next thing you know

You hear a pop

Pain shoots through your arm and you can’t move it at first

Next thing you know you have a shoulder that will never be the same again 


You know It’s hard to go home 

Knowing that they aren’t there 

Thinking you are alone 

And no one else cares

Or you don’t want to go 

To a place you’ve loved so much 

Because the reason you went there

Isn't there any more 


Next thing you know 

The sun is setting on a bad day 

The sky bleeding red and orange 

Clouds are scarce 

A majestic treasure to keep in your memory 

After what seemed like the worst day of your life 

After what it seemed like things won’t get better

Without them here


Next thing you know 

You’ve learned to live life adjusting to the pain 

Getting used to how reality is now 

Eventually, you forget 

About all the bad things that have happened 

But the events are what shaped you today 


Next thing you know 

Life gets a little easier 

And it feels like you can finally breathe

No more tears are shed 

And you adapt 

It becomes the new normal 


Next thing you know 

It’s in your past 

And you’ve moved on

Moving on to the next chapter

Because life is unpredictable

And you can’t always dwell on the past 

Yet don’t forget it 


So take a step forward and 

Move on 



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