Honestly,
I've exhausted "16".
So much has happened.
So much good, so much sorrow.
I've grown so much,
not in height,
but in strength and confidence.
Hopefully a bit wiser
and definitely more thankful.

Usually, I'm sad at this point,
but not this year.
I look back on this past year with a smile.
It was the best year yet,
so 17,
bring it on.

you see me with a smile
on my face and
making sarcastic remarks.

i must be perfectly okay.

yet im still thinking about 10 minutes ago,
when i was letting my pillow
soak up all my tears.

i was the girl laying on my
bedroom floor,
the same song on repeat.

tears come and go,
but the pain lingers.

we said we'd be friends forever,
but now you're holding him
before you hold me.

i guess "friends first"
just wasn't for you.

i still tell you everything,
but the trust has vanished.

and after all,
what's friendship without trust?

i act like everything is fine,
though i know what's wrong.

i'm your shoulder,
i'm your best friend,
but you are just an empty friend.

ive traveled here and there.
ive seen incredible works of art
and pieces of history
scattered across the globe.

never will i know "home",
never will i fully belong,
never will i not miss someone.

a life full of adventures
and new faces,
i wouldn't trade it for anything.

the pain is always there,
but the memories will never fade.
joy will always abound
in the hope for the future
and the days of the past.

being a world traveler,
a vagabond,
has its troubles.
but the rewards make
it well worth it.