Fifteen was good to me 
Will sixteen be too?
Will it be everything I’ve hoped for
Or will my hopes fall through?
It’s a bittersweet feeling
Growing older as we do
It’s hard to believe 
Because the time really flew.
Tomorrow is the day
I don’t know if I’m ready 
My mind is a mess
I’m a little unsteady. 
But still, I’ll push forward
Get through today 
And wake up tomorrow 
Feeling some kind of way.
I’m excited for what’s to come 
Excited for this new age 
I’m ready for whatever 
I'm ready for this new stage. 
So I welcome you sixteen
Into my life 
I'm ready for you 
Because you will be larger than life. 

It’s been a long winter 
And the bitterness is still clinging to my mind
But the warmth is slowly seeping into my heart.
Spring is here and with it brings
The change I seek.
I will grow with the leaves and the grass 
And bloom like the flowers 
For spring is the season of change 
And I am more than ready to.
I won’t let myself get carried away in the winds
I’ll stay here where I’m embraced by the sun and engulfed in the smell of lilacs.
Spring has sprung 
And I’m ready
For whatever it brings.

 

Every Monday and Friday for the rest of May I'll be updating this post with a new photo of nature. I'm trying to challenge myself creatively! Looking forward to what is to come...
 

It’s in the news now,
But next week 
It’ll be another.
The last one is forgotten, replaced by the next.
But we carry it in our hearts, it weighs us down.
Another story, after another,
After
Another.
Lately, it feels like they haven’t stopped.
It feels like they never will.
Why haven’t things changed?
Why wasn’t the first one enough 
For change? 
But I guess that’s not enough.
What about those people,
Those children 
Who died at the hands 
Of someone so mentally unstable, so unwell? 
What about them?
Is that not enough for something to change?
I guess not because 
It 
Keeps 
Happening. 
There’s one thing  
In common with each one – 
The weapon of choice. 
It may be small or big, 
But the damage is always bigger, 
The tears greater, 
The loss infinite, 
The sadness enormous. 
This is my plea: 
Please stop this

Beware of windy mornings
For the wind brings lost feelings 
And unsaid words. 
Tread carefully, little one,
Watch your tongue, sit up straight, 
Beware of the wind. 
Watch out for its vexed grasp.
Don’t let it get hold of you
Or you may find yourself 
Saying the things
That were meant to remain unspoken. 
Be mindful of the people around you
For the wind is unforgiving
And therefore will seize anyone in its path, 
Even the people you love most. 
Pay attention to where the wind's blowing. 
Watch your step, watch yourself. 
Don’t let the wind take hold
And wait until it’s passed. 
And forget about the wind
Until it comes once again. 

Beware of windy mornings.
 

If I was the rain you were the hurricane
Crashing through unsuspecting me. 
With your gusts and thunder 
Me, so full of wonder. 
I never knew
I had been waiting my whole life to get swept up by you. 
But I was the calm 
And you were the storm 
You were cold
And I was warm. 
You came 
And I fell
Little did I know
I was under your spell. 
Of highs and lows 
Of fast and slow. 
Just as fast and you came 
You left me alone 
With nobody left to blame.
You were the hurricane
And I was only just the rain. 

It’s hard when I never really knew the real you. 
The illness clung to you, pulled you down and you were lost. 
You didn’t know the years of tears that were cried for you. 
It’s easy to miss somebody, especially when I wish that we had more time. 
I don’t remember much from before the cracks in your mind got so big 
That you forgot us. 
Just that year on the porch in the so delicately designed house
With the Hello Kitty cake and candles and light, camera, smiles, Real smiles.
We didn’t know, even though we saw the signs. 
Until it was too late and all we could do was watch. 
It makes me sad because before I even got the chance to know you
It was ripped from my grasp all because of something that we had no control over. 
I won’t lie it was hard that one summer, the last summer, 
You waking up and not knowing us. 
We made the best of it while we helped you eat breakfast.

In my dreams, I ran through sage fields
And swam through glassy seas
All in an effort to save you 
To lift you from your knees
I didn’t know I was being deceived. 
Before I got to you I was swept up
Into the cool summer breeze
I knew better
Then to save you even when you said please. 
In my dreams, my tears were purple and blue
I cried and 
You told me you could get lost in the hue.
But I knew better 
Than to ever believe you.
In my dreams, I flew through cherry blossom clouds 
And tasted honeyed lemon drops
While you chased after me in the flower crowds
You never gave up even when the trees whispered stop. 
In my dreams I smelled nature's sweet perfume 
And listened to the soft chorus of the grass
But when you were there it all turned to gloom
Your touch seemed last.
But even in my dreams I knew better 
Then to love you 
Even if 
I wanted to. 

Your sudden reappearance in my life is surprising and exasperating. 
We cut ties, and I was left utterly alone, don’t you remember?
After you I was alone in the prison of thoughts I had built for myself. 
It's so easy for you to waltz back in, isn’t it? 
While I’m still tripping over my clumsy legs.
I stare at you while you stare at anything that isn’t me. 
Maybe it’s easy for you, but it isn’t so easy for me. 
If I had a choice I’d push you back out
To the place you were before you pushed back into my life. 
It’s hard for me to see you watch her the way you used to watch me. 
But I can’t help but wonder if this was the way it was supposed to be. 
Me, watching from the sidelines, waiting, for just one moment for our eyes will meet. 
But I know that won’t happen because it isn’t how it used to be
Between you and me.

Being a teenager means… 

• Letting go of old friendships even when you don't want to
• Getting up every time we fall down, which is more often than we can count
• Getting a bad grade on a test and vowing to study harder next time
• Meeting new people you wouldn't have thought to be friends with
• Getting through the hard times with a book and a shot of espresso
• Doing stupid things and getting caught
• Crying a lot but always feeling better after
• Singing along to breakup songs when we are home alone
• Living the way we want and not caring what others think
• Journaling and writing poetry as therapy
• Letting someone see that we are hurting and letting them help us
• Late-night talking and watching Stranger Things
• Worrying about the future and wishing time would slow
• Wishing time would move faster so we can finally grow up
• Turning in assignments at 11:59 PM
• Living happily and being