When tea parties turned into kickbacks,

I knew my childhood was depleting.

Beer bottles displayed like drunken artifacts,

If only I knew “fitting in” wouldn’t matter in 4 years’ time.

My classmates went from drawing abstract lines in art class,

To snorting lines in our bathroom stalls.

The moment we were allowed to make choices,

We were no longer kids.

Every choice held another consequence,

It was up to us to make the right ones.

Make choices consistent with your goals,

Something my teacher instilled into me.

Sometimes these choices weren’t easy to make,

But it was now our responsibility to make them.