you never realize how significant a moment is until it becomes a memory
good or bad, memories mark significance

like the time you snuck out of your best friend's house
you got stuck in the window and laughed so hard you peed your pants

or the time you got out of the hospital
the start of your life living with your sister

at first, it was the best thing that could've happened
until your happiness, once again, blackened

and when you moved to your father's,
the blackness began to diminish into pure white joy

so many memories are stored in your brain
so much happiness and so much pain

like the day you wreck you mother's car
compared to that day, you've come so far

or the day your nephew Sammy was born
you thought seeing your sister give birth would be the most awkward thing in the world
but when you saw his head, suddenly he was the only thing in the world

you have friends and family who care about you so much
you're 16 years old, 17 in three months

one year closer to 18 doesn't seem like much
but soon you'll realize that your life is about to change

someday you'll look back on this poem
and when you do, hopefully you'll realize that your 16-year-old self wasn't all that broken