As the clock strikes midnight

And one-six is one-seven

Is anything to be reflected upon,

Has anything happened?

 

I have happened.

As six became seven,

I became more like me

I learned to sing.

I learned to sing some songs all new

And for some, I needed only learn the harmony

 

I learned to sing the song of mingled grief and hope

That follows a classmate through chemo, surgery,

And coming back home

 

I learned the song of shared

Passion, jokes, unfamiliarity, love

The song of strangers who’ve become friends

That mingles with hobbits’ footsteps and

The trodding of Ents

 

I strengthened the song of freedom as I

Stretched my wings, not yet

Ready to fly

 

I’ve learned to sing of

Life, loss, laughter, and leaving

Remembering, reminiscing, and revelling

Of years long past

And years looming close

 

I’ve learned to sing for me

And no one else

My song

The song that will

Swell, soften, rise, fall

Hasten and slow

With my life

 

The clock strikes midnight

Songs are being sung

Lives have, are, and are beginning to happen

Farewell, one-six

Welcome, one-seven