Growing Up Poems by Teens

I'm getting older now,
No longer a child,
Not yet an adult,
But a girl trying to carve a path for herself

I'm learning to make my own choices,
Molding a future with my bare hands,
Learning how to step out,
Despite the shaky ground.

I no longer need to be held tight in your embrace
But crave an independence,
One that lets me explore my hunger for this world,
A world full of hidden meanings.

But sometimes I fall,
As I struggle to take in the world before me,
Overwhelmed by the bigger picture
The adulthood that lies ahead.

And it must be hard for you to accept
That I'm building a life for myself,
Making mistakes that you cannot cure,
Choices you never dreamed I'd make.

You were always there to protect me
through the dark and cold of night.
I would hold you close beside me
and squeeze you in so close, so tight.

We would pretend we were in another place,
so free and full of fun,
where no one could ever hurt us
and life had just begun.

I would tell you all my secrets
about the happenings of the day,
I would often whisper in your ear,
"Please take this pain away."

Although you couldn't stop the life
or path that I was led,
I would sit with you for hours,
just alone on my bed.

And each time that we heard
a footstep made or maybe two,
a door slide open
I would just reach out for you.

You would take me to that place
so free and full of fun,
and the pain wouldn't hurt,
and again it was done.

So now that I am older
and the fears have faded too.
I can look around my life,
and it doesn't seem so true.

You're still here to protect me
with an eye missing or two.
My favorite little bear,
we made it because of you.

A silly girl
Loved a stupid boy
He was her everything
She was just his toy
He played with her emotions
Put mixed feelings in her head
For that stupid boy
A million tears that girl had shed
His friends would laugh
In his fun they would share
They knew he was a player
While she thought they were the perfect pair
Then came that horror
She was two weeks late
So she took the test
Could this possibly be fate?
She told that boy
The news she had found out
That was when she discovered
What he was all about
He showed his true colors
And crushed her pride
Left her all alone
For someone he had on the side
Born to her
Was a perfect son
This war she was fighting
The new mother had won
The prize was hers
To keep for a lifetime
A baby boy
Born to shine

Together we wrote our stories.
Together we sang our songs.
But now it's all gone.

Stashed away like photographs
inside my mind
in a place I have labeled "memories."
And sometimes,
when I flip through those pages,
thinking tenderly of the past,
remembering who we used to be-
sitting in class
having long conversations,
exchanging lyrics and words,
or just laughing 'til we couldn't breathe-
it fills me with a bitter-sweet ache,
and I just want to be little again.

Sometimes, random memories-
a reminiscent word said here,
a familiar melody heard there,
a burst of giggles and laughter-
catch me off-guard
and nostalgia floods my senses.

The desire to relive them,
to create once again
the everlasting from fleeting moments,
to feel the love that remains.
It grips me,
taking hold of my entire being.
My heart is throbbing again
with that sweet ache,
longing for what once was.
And that's when I realize,
it is but the wistful desire
of a child that never grew up
and learned just how to be.

So I had to settle for passing through the moments
like walking through doors,
only allowing my heart to flutter,
to flicker again with the bliss
I had once experienced.
It is a reminder
of a happiness I once owned,
of the love that remains,
of the things I no longer have...
and knowing that it will never come again
is what makes it so sweet.

A strange feeling fills my chest
as I leave this place.
As if I am not only going to miss
the people I love,
but also
the person I was at that time and place,
because I will never be that way again.
And I cling to it,
to that memory,
to that person I want to remain,
afraid to let it fade
to let it become a ghost,
a shadow.
Everything that I have loved
has become
everything I lost.

Wasn't it beautiful
when we believed in everything?

There once was a little girl.
She was sweet, and in dresses she liked to twirl.
Everywhere she went,
She left her footprint.
Her smile was almost contagious,
And the amount of love she received was outrageous.

But the little girl then grew up.
And her tea wasn't as easily in her cup.
She didn't have the greatest luck,
And truly it's because people suck.
As a teenager, she lost friends.
Mostly because high school comes with ends.

But people called her names,
And boys played with her heart like a string of games.
But don't let this information fool you.
She could still be herself if she wanted to.
Some days she could try on her dresses like when she was a little girl,
And she could stand in front of her mirror to watch herself twirl.

Even though she had gotten older,
And thought that years going by had destroyed her,
She was wrong; she could still be sweet.
She still left a footprint with each of her feet.
She could still make herself crack that contagious smile.
And her being on this Earth was worthwhile.

But because of the names
And the games,
She didn't see that.
She just thought she was being walked on more than a dirty door mat.
She was lost, and people didn't seem to see
That words hurt, and that little girl was me.

See me cry
See the truth behind the lies
See me smile, see me laugh
See the flashbacks of my past
See my bad habits come to an end
See me leave footprints in the snow
See me wave hello and goodbye
I'm amazed to see everything new
Time flew by and left a mark
See me dance in the rain
See me ignore all types of pain
See me grow up and take on the world
See me now, I'm not a little girl
See me graduate high school
See me graduate college
See me wear my heart on my sleeve
See the people leave my side
See the people stay by me
See me start to make my dreams come true
See me speak what's on my mind
See me help people, see me forget
See the next me.
I bet you thought I wouldn't write anything like this.
See me prove you wrong.
I thought you might be surprised; you don't know me then.
See me see you be shocked.

You make me feel empty
You make me feel sad
You make me feel like I have lost everything I had

Now all I do is lay here and cry
I even sometimes wish I could just lay down and die

I'm sick of this life
I'm sick of these tears
I'm sick of the guilt trip you put on me for years and years

I'm going to live life as I choose
I'm no longer going to cry tears because of you
I'm not going to feel guilty for the things that you did
And I will say this I'm no longer a kid

This is a fight I'm willing to win

What happened to the good old days?
Back when my life was full of joy and happiness?
Back when my world was a beautiful place to live?
Back when people loved one another and everyone smiled?

What happened to the good old days?
Back when my life was worth living?
Back when I enjoyed school?
Back when I loved coming home to my family?

What happened to the good old days?
Back when I actually felt loved?
Back when my eyes were tear free?
Back when I had worry free days?

What happened to the good old days?
Back when I would thank God every night for my wonderful life?
Back when I believed in everyone and everything?
Back when there was no screaming?

What happened to the good old days?
Back when I loved people?
Back when I trusted those I loved?
Back when I had faith in people?

What happened to the good old days?
Back when my life was amazing?
Back when life was worth living?
Back when life was good?

What happened to the good old days?
Back when love overpowered hate?
Back when good overpowered bad?
Back when everything was better than today?

What happened to the great world God made?

The time I spent waiting
The worry of what might be
The wonder if I'll make it
These are all mine
The fear on judgment day
The excitement there too
The test awaiting me
These are all mine

The ticking of time after the test
The waiting on the results
The racing of my heart in my chest
These are all mine
The shock of the results
The breathtaking awe
The two little pink lines
These are all mine

The fear of the new
The worry of family's thoughts
The pure excitement for now knowing
These are all mine
The joy of each day
The excitement of what's to come
The joy of another life
These are all mine

The days go by
The classes we take
The books we read
These will all be mine
The weeks go by
The names we hate
The name we pick
These will all be mine

The months go by
The growth of my stomach
The readiness written on my face
These will all be mine
The time finally comes
The time to be a mommy
The birth of a new life
These will all be mine

The first day here
The first little cry
The awe of the baby
These will all be mine
The day he comes home
The excitement and joy
The family gathered around to see
These will all be mine

The time goes by
The feeling of him growing up
The love I see in his eyes
These will all be mine
The days go by
The first cry and squeal
The first laugh
These will all be mine

The weeks go by
The first time he holds his head up
The first cold he catches
These will all be mine
The months go by
The first tooth comes
The baby talk grows
These will all be mine

The years go by
The grief from him growing up
The joy of seeing my baby
These will all be mine
The time goes by
It seems lost
No matter what
I will always hold on to this

The pitter-patter of the footsteps
The soft cry in the night
The laughs and giggles
These will all be mine

Not yet do the parents know
they will soon be the youngest grandparents on the block.

Walking through the store,
everyone stares, but no one says a thing.

The girl tries to conceal her secret from the world,
but this eight months will not allow her that simple pleasure.

She is alone now. Her mother is by her side,
but that is not enough; her child has no father.

Her stomach turns, nervous at the thought that someday a child will ask
why he has no daddy, why she made him leave.

She gets sick at the thought of having to explain
this confusing story of her terrible past to her child.

At school, her friends smile. They buy her cute things,
trying to still be her friend and act like they accept her problems.

But they don't;
they never accepted her to begin with.

She could see right through their smiling faces to their souls,
so cold she shivered.

Or was it a shiver of fear?
She knows she's too young.

Getting out of the car, another one hits.
"Breathe," her mother tells her. "Breathe."

It is over now, but she stays there in her mother's arms,
rocking, being pacified by her mother as if she is a baby.

Thinking, wishing, knowing
that she's too young.

Twelve hours later, holding a new life in her arms,
her new life, she cries.

With tears running down her face,
she thinks of nothing else but this precious life in her arms.

Not about her parents, her classmates,
the strangers at the store, or about the child's father,

Just about the beautiful baby boy
that has now given her life whole new meaning.

Purpose.

I am growing up, Daddy
Don't you see?
You gotta let me go
Let me spread my wings
I am growing up, Daddy
Don't you see?
Gonna explore the world, Daddy
Gonna be seen
Let me go, Daddy
I will come back to see
See you and Mommy on those summer eves
You gotta let me go, Daddy
Please set me free?

Do you ever stop and think?
Just reflect on everything that's happened to you
in the last few days,
months,
years?

Do you wonder where all that time went?
All those special moments
or just the ordinary daily activities that are now only memories.
Memories that are unique,
and the only way you can hold onto them
is by replaying them in your mind over and over again,
until the details all merge together and you're left with a fuzzy recollection
that doesn't seem to fit anymore.

Do you remember the exact time when you started to grow up?
When the conversations you had
were not about dolls or imaginary friends
but about sex, boys and "How far have you gone?"
When you started giggling not because you're covered in mud,
but because you remembered the time that a boy kissed you?

Have you ever turned around and suddenly everyone was 3 feet taller,
with bigger parts and more curves
and you had no idea where it all came from?

Have you ever felt that the closest people to you are also the furthest away?
Felt that everything was happening too fast?
And even though you didn't want to grow up,
you didn't want to be left behind either?

And when his hand is no longer a boy's but a man's,
when his touch does not convey safety but lust
and when your body betrays you and wants it too.
Is this when we have grown up?
Or is it when we are forced to grow up?

And who tells us when we have grown up?
How do we know when we have reached our destination?
Do we ever stop growing up, or do we continue to just grow in spirit?

And if I can see everyone else making choices,
trying new things, growing up,
is it selfish for me to want it to stay the same forever?

And if I make my own choices, try different things, slowly growing up,
will others notice that I'm changing too?
Do they wish that nothing would change just like I do?

And if I'm just scared of losing the people that are close to me,
scared of being left behind or leaving others behind,
is it okay for me to stand off in the distance,
just watching these people live their lives,
remembering how they are and how they make me feel?

But if I hold onto them too tightly, how am I to move on?
How am I to grow up and LIVE MY LIFE?
How am I to make decisions and take on responsibility if I'm living in the past?

I guess time continues,
whether you want it to or not,
leaving you behind or taking you for the journey of your life.