To Growing Up

This is a poem I wrote in 2004/2005 I can't remember which year. It was an assignment for my Creative Writing class my junior year of high school. We had to write and ode to something and this is what I came up with.

Swiftly and quietly it comes

On soft foot to you,

To a child so pure of heart

Suddenly stricken down in

A mass of confusion.

Slowly being torn away from

Play and imagination

By an unknown terror sweet

Like the Forbidden Fruit.

Dancing closer and closer, eventually

It will take you to a new world.

 

Gone are the days of mud pies

And wide-eyed awe.

Gone are the days of pureness,

For now your mind has expanded,

And cannot get enough of this

Wild and new experience.

Imagination hangs to life by

A fading thread, but hearts

Fill with a new love for life.

Cool, calming hands take yours,

Beckoning you to join the rest.

 

Never can you turn back;

Once you have entered,

There is no going back.

This new world fills you completely;

You love it, and only experience it once.

Here are the days of lessons learned the hard way

And the days of five hour phone conversations.

Here are the days you will cherish forever more;

Here are the days you learn the most.

Fell the most, and most incredibly,

Love the most.

Author's Note

I haven't edited this since I turned it in for my assignment, and it is something I wrote roughly four or five years ago.

Reviews

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I really like several of the lines here, the sound in them, the rhythm...
* "Gone are the days of mud pies"
* "Imagination hangs to life by a fading thread,"
Beautiful.

My only question... is it an ode to childhood? I would like to see more images that suggest childhood... mudpies, swingsets, those really-fast-spinny-carousel thingys (I obviously don't know the name of) to give more concrete idea of childhood without saying "childhood."

The same imagery could work for adolencese... you do it already with "five hour phone calls" but what else do adolecenses spend their time doing?

Es tre bien, Bex. (that was a lot of various languages in one line.)

[Jvl narasimharao]

Being a teacher I enjoy reading this wonderful poem on childhood and school days.

[Michael X]

I like this poem, brings to mind many facets of memories. A also liked the refined feeling. Great job.

[Vaishali..^_^]

it a nice piece...!very well written...!
great write..!

[Pratibha]

yes i agree with Passion and it indeed is a beautiful poem....esp the mudpies and 5 hour conversation part...
and u sure can expand it if u like...with lots of more imagery associated with your childhood days....
this indeed is a good read