as we grew up,
all we wanted was to be older:
to be sixteen,
eighteen, twenty one.
we soldiered through
the challenges we faced then –
unaware of the wilderness
life becomes when mature1.
now we reminisce,
wish we had taken time to savor
being free to feel unsure
of where we’re going.
borrowed poem2 i found in my journal from 2022
1 from “I Am Offering this Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca
2 a poem in which you borrow a line and build around it
The Caffeinated Writer 