I
learnt a lot
when I turned
17.

that
little girl
of 16
was gone.

soon
I will be
a woman
of 18.

but for now,
I will remain
balanced
between a
girl and a woman,
a child and an adult,
my past and my future.

I remember
my age through
memories,
years,
sensations
and blessings.

Sometimes,
I forget
I am no longer
17.

but
the realisation
that I am aging
and my youth is
slowly yet surely
fading...

I am not sure
how to respond
to this--
despair or relief?
fear or hope?

dream or reality?