My Past Self

• Elena Lolosidis , Grade 9
• Poetry
• 2022

I will not forsake my past self- for who would I be if I did so?
My peers grow up around me so fast,
Their tears amounting to the waves of the sea, full of sorrow.
In the acquisition of maturity these youths are competing,
While I preserve my dear childhood- knowing that it is fleeting.
Why must I let this cruel world drown me, why must I surrender?
Surrender joy and those days in the sun which I so treasure?
Maturity will come in its due time, so why must I rush?
Childish innocence like sea foam this cruel world wishes to crush!
I will stand out from the crowd and hold my head high,
Taking pride in my youth and reaching for the sky!
Standing in front of the paths ahead, watching others choose,
I happily play among the tides, savouring my youth.
I hold my lofty dreams close; such things I would never forgo.
I will not forsake my past self- for who would I be if I did so?