Instructions on Growing Up

If you wrap your hand around your mother's wrist 

your fingers will touch. How 

do you come to terms with that? How 

do you learn that your father's shoulders 

can no longer bear your weight, can barely 

hold his own? 

Your little brother does not look at you 

the way he once did: like 

you'd hung the moon and stars just for him. 

Your little brother does not look at you 

much at all. How 

do you grow up 

knowing the things you are killing 

to do so? 

I am still young. I still 

have much to learn. 

yejunee

FL

17 years old

More by yejunee

  • grow up, child

    i wonder if this is the best version 

    of myself. what could have been 

    and what never will be. the things 

    meant to be and the things that

    are. was it worth it? 

    i ask the girl in the mirror. 

  • wake up

    every now and then, i am lying in bed 

    and want to wake up so badly i could 

    scream for it. surely this is not all there is. 

    surely this is only a dream, a bad dream, 

    and the world is kinder beyond it. 

  • someday

    someday it'll be too 

    late. someday you'll wish 

    you had hugged them tighter. 

    you thought you would see them 

    again. you thought 

    endings didn't happen this way, 

    no warning, no reason, just