Getting Older
Getting Older
I'm getting older.
I often struggle to notice.
I'm with myself all the time,
I know myself better than anyone.
The thing I always fail to know
is how much I've grown.
I don't notice until I think about it.
My thoughts have changed.
My clothes start getting too small.
The stuffed animals I used to need
now sit alone.
I'm losing the imagination of the little girl I used to be,
And for the longest time, I had no idea.
I accept this
Only because I have to.
I can't slow it down,
and I can't stop it completely.
I am growing.
There are things about my younger self
that I'd like to keep.
I want to keep her sense of humor,
the way she can laugh at everything.
I'd like to keep the lessons I learned from my grandma,
the strength and courage I learned from my mom.
But most of all
I want to keep her kindness,
the thing everyone I love has always
been so proud of me for.
Growth is constant
even when I'm not getting any taller.
I have grown.
And I'm still going.
The Voice
October 2024
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