The mind of a teen

 

These are crucial years they say

One that is tough but good for me anyway

My night-light’s flickering

And I’m buried deep beneath

Assignments and details 

No-one seems to see, or hear 

But only if they looked down and heard

My cries, of longing and pain….

 

Oh, I wish to run free

Sit with my friends by the beach

Gather round a campfire

Sing songs until we go haywire

And at the end of the day, 

Turn our faces up to the sky

Where a meteor shower sets the

Dark canvas of space alight.

 

I wish I could leave all this behind

And get on a bus with my homies

Pull out packets of chips and fries

Make a ruckus, take selfies 

As we ride out into the dark.

 

I want to run free, 

Try out clothes and laugh at the food court 

Get drunk on apple juice at parties

I want to live my life, 

Picnic under shady trees 

Go and swim in rivers 

Laugh with my classmates

As we watch the setting sun.

 

Oh, I want to live,

 

I want to run into the night

And dance under the sun

I want to smile till it hurts

And I want to tell stories

Of my childhood in the future.

 

Yes, I want to live

Past gilded cages and society’s

Cumbersome etiquettes.

I want to break these chains,

Fly free, make memories,

Even if it’s just for this summer

Even if it’s just for a moment

The small voice inside me pleads,

“Go, run, live.”