Twenty Years | Teen Ink

Twenty Years

May 17, 2012
By jackiee129 PLATINUM, Kent, Connecticut
jackiee129 PLATINUM, Kent, Connecticut
28 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It makes me happy when I see teenage girls who clearly don't fit in, gives me hope that the future might still have personality" - Haley Williams

“You are not your bra-size, nor are you the width of your waist, nor are you the slenderness of your calves. You are not your hair color, your skin color, nor are you a shade of lipstick. Your shoe-size is of no consequence. You are not defined by the amount of attention you get from males, females, or any combination thereof. You are not the number of sit-ups you can do, nor are you the number of calories in a day. You are not your mustache. You are not the hair on your legs. You are not a little red dress. You are no amalgam of these things. You are the content of your character. You are the ambitions that drive you. You are the goals that you set. You are the things that you laugh at and the words that you say. You are the thoughts you think and the things you wonder. You are beautiful and desirable not for the clique you attend, but for the spark of life within you that compels you to make your life a full and meaningful one. You are beautiful not for the shape of the vessel, but for the volume of the soul it carries.”


Ten years ago I was only ten,
And if you think ten years changes you
From a child to an adult,
Then you haven’t lived long enough.
Five years ago I was only fifteen,
Confused and trying to find my way,
And if you think five years is long enough
To figure everything out,
Then you certainly have not lived long enough.
Two years ago I was only eighteen,
Being sent into the world with music and fanfare,
Watching the world open under my feet,
And if you think two years is enough
To conquer the whole world,
Then you surely haven’t lived long enough.
Today I am only twenty,
And in twenty years time a lot has changed.
Yet I am still that ten year old child,
Eyes wide and heart open.
I am still that fifteen year old girl,
Nervous and scared and finding her way.
I am still that eighteen year old graduate,
On the cusp of freedom,
Reaching for something more.
But at twenty years old,
I know that I still haven’t lived long enough.


The author's comments:
I'm still eighteen, but twenty just seemed like a better number to work with for this piece.

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This article has 2 comments.


on May. 30 2012 at 9:22 pm
realbeautifulheart PLATINUM, Livermore, California
21 articles 1 photo 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life is a package that you have to sign for. Yes, it's free. No, there's no guarantee as to what it holds. Open with caution, it's 'FRAGILE'." (I made this up.)

Love it. As a reader, I can see your easy way with words and the way you portray your message of place in the world is entertaining. As a writer, I can see your honesty and confidence at what life holds before you. Good idea and theme. As always, keep writing :)

butterfly123 said...
on May. 22 2012 at 6:19 am
butterfly123, Banglore, Other
0 articles 0 photos 408 comments
hey! i like the whole idea and theme of the poem. it send a very sensible message . i also like the last part where you talk about the different feelings felt at different ages. great work and keep writing :D