The Way It Is | Teen Ink

The Way It Is

April 10, 2013
By ATLfanatic96 GOLD, Findlay, Ohio
ATLfanatic96 GOLD, Findlay, Ohio
17 articles 9 photos 1 comment

When you’re a child,
The world is black and white.
Everything existentially is uncomplicated,
The world seems so darn cut and dry.

Everybody is kind, you’re all best friends,
Mommy and Daddy love you, they do.
There is no such thing in the world as scary,
Somebody is there at all times to protect you.

But as you begin to grow,
Things start to change too.
The world ain’t so safe no more,
Everybody’s out to get you.

Suddenly you’re too old for those silly toys,
And everyone keeps shouting at you to grow up.
Where the heck did your childhood go?
When will it ever be enough?

You’re not a little kid anymore,
Time to get the heck over it, go numb.
Prepare yourself to fend off the world,
Ready or not, here it comes.

And you’re caught in the middle,
And everything’s so freaking confusing.
What am I supposed to do now?
It’s you they’re accusing.

The kids you went to kindergarten with,
They’re all smoking on the corner.
The girls are giving it up under the bleachers,
The poor kid’s strung up, someone get the coroner.

Everything is a late night walk on the beach,
And when did you get so flipping sentimental?
This house is so freaking noisy,
Isn’t that just a bit coincidental?

Everyone’s staring blank all day,
Inspiration plasters the white walls.
And we’re just sitting there waiting,
For that commitment kitten to fall.

We’re driving cars and making identities,
We’re French kissing on the cool summer grass.
We’re screaming at the top of our lungs at the sky,
Just trying to find a way to make all this somehow last.

And it’s slamming the door in their face,
And saluting the world, one finger raised.
It’s running until we’ve got nowhere left to go,
We’re just trying desperately to find our place.

We’re constantly experimenting with everything,
Just trying to make some sense of our world.
We’re banging our fists against existence’s door,
Yelling as loud as we can, “What’s it all for?”

We’re falling in love,
And falling apart.
We’re opening up our eyes,
We’re linking up our hearts.

We’re prying the knives out of our backs,
And making the mirror reflect what we want it to.
We’re recreating this life the way it has to be to survive,
We’re doing just what we’re supposed to do.

All the adults, they live a life of hypocrisy,
They keep on pushing us off the edge of the nest.
It’s time for us to take the reins now though,
Thank God, I’m done being suppressed.

I’m tired of being told to shut the heck up,
It seems I’ve got much too much to say.
They’ve wanted this all along though, haven’t they?
It’s our time now however, the world’s been given to us today.

My wings are unfurling now,
Spreading nice and wide.
And heck no, I’m no adult yet.
But...I’m going to give growing up a try.


The author's comments:
A poem dedicated to the task of growing up.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.