As reward for my patient years
Of sorrow, laughter, joy and tears
Life's handed me (to my surprise)
A "me" I cannot recognise
Her hands are bigger to catch pain
That weighs her down like heavy rain
Her eyes brighter, so she can see
The world I found a mystery
Her heart's stronger than ever mine
So she will handle life just fine
But there's so much she doesn't know
And so much more she needs to grow
So, when I think of years of yet
I remind her to not forget
That though she stands a better chance
One day she'll need a stronger stance
I wrote this when I was 16 because I always saw the ways in which I could continue to improve although I appreciated my growth.