We’re eighteen now,
grown on paper,
legal words and louder expectations,
but when I close my eyes
I still see you at sixteen.
Sixteen and fearless.
Sixteen and certain.
You loved me like the world hadn’t taught you
how to hesitate yet.
Your hands didn’t shake with doubt,
your words didn’t carry warnings.
You didn’t love me carefully
you loved me completely,
like there was no future that could ruin us.
Now we’re older,
and everything has edges.
Time taught us how to pull back,
how to measure feelings,
how to pretend we don’t feel things
as deeply as we do.
But my heart never learned that lesson.
It still reaches for the boy
who chose me without fear,
who loved me before love learned
how to hurt.
We may be eighteen now,
but somewhere inside me,
you are still sixteen
and I am still being loved
like nothing could ever go wrong.
Feb 7
Feb 7, 2026 at 3:25 PM UTC
We’re eighteen now,
grown on paper,
legal words and louder expectations,
but when I close my eyes
I still see you at sixteen.
Sixteen and fearless.
Sixteen and certain.
You loved me like the world hadn’t taught you
how to hesitate yet.
Your hands didn’t shake with doubt,
your words didn’t carry warnings.
You didn’t love me carefully
you loved me completely,
like there was no future that could ruin us.
Now we’re older,
and everything has edges.
Time taught us how to pull back,
how to measure feelings,
how to pretend we don’t feel things
as deeply as we do.
But my heart never learned that lesson.
It still reaches for the boy
who chose me without fear,
who loved me before love learned
how to hurt.
We may be eighteen now,
but somewhere inside me,
you are still sixteen
and I am still being loved
like nothing could ever go wrong.
