Lessons from adults
Muh'minah Ryklief 2000 (Cape Town)
"Reach for the stars," they say
"The limit is the sky
Shine like the moon
You've just got to try."
"Fly away darling.
Go for your dreams.
You are a princess
in this world of kings and queens."
But the when you reach
for the stars so far away,
they grab ahold of your wings
and beg you to stay
"The world is cruel," they tell you
"With only storms and night.
Those stars you are reaching for
are no longer in sight."
"Be wary of the sun.
It scorches and it burns.
You're too young to fight such dangerous battles,
and you have much to learn."
But then when you throw away your dreams
And give up on all you know,
They tell us bravery is in holding on
And we're foolish to let go
We're told to never quit no matter what
Especially when it hurts the most
Life is meant for the living
We should leave regret to the ghosts
And then they wonder why were so confused
So lost in life's twilight
And we can only tell them that we don't have stars
Because they've taken away our night.
About this poem
I wrote this poem many years ago when I was frustrated with my parents for being so contrary with their advice for my future. Of course I know now that they just wanted what was best for me, but at the time I didn't know what to do with all the expectations they were placing on me alongside the warnings for what happens if one expects too much.
Written on February 15, 2018
Submitted by muhminah_r on August 10, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:05 min read
- 1 View
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABXB CDXX XAXA XEXE XXXX DFXF XXCX XEXE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 982 |
Words | 214 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Lessons from adults" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/136161/lessons-from-adults>.
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