Growing Up Poems

Outside The Empty Mug

the night’s wildlife stampedes through the crosswalk.
penguins dressed in short black skirts and white tops.
an Irish River Dance of black boots cross by the lights
startle the onlookers from the comfort of their cars.
hard to distinguish any individual from the rest.

a uniform that ignites a father’s spark,
not the kind they ignite on the bar-walk.
thinking about my

I will seek you God

I will seek you even in my darkness
Cause that way I won't be totally lost
Bit by bit I'll find my way
And with time I'll be by your side

I will sit in your refuge
And wait as long as it takes
Cause I've seen your works
And each is beautiful

I will sing your hymns
Cause it soothes the soul
As I

Hanna

HANNA

Born in a hospital
Raised with indoor plumbing,
School just up the hill.
She was a lucky one.

Dad couldn’t afford a tractor
No electricity in fifty miles
Milked cows by hand and dried the dishes
Before she can remember. Not so lucky.

She’ll never forget the day electricity came.
Can you imagine the magic—
Some nights the single bulb shined until midnight.
The sun lost

Moonlight's Bright Tonight, Part 1

Moonlight’s bright tonight.
Let’s go outside and play
In the fields of the village.
Morning’s far away.

Still crisp air holds its breath
In silence as we watch
Moonlit shadows creeping west,
Forever out of reach.

We try to chase the shadows
Running through the trees,
Standing tall like rocket ships
Against the lonely seas.

Come along and run with me,
The fields await our gaze.
There lay mysteries

Glass Skin

They always told her she was mature for her age—
a gift, they said—
but it felt like a cage instead.
Never free to be a child,
learning labor before play,
navigating life differently.

Being mature for her age
meant balancing mountains on fingertips,
swallowing storms that weren’t her own,
cradling the hollow spaces of others.
She became a quiet tide in everyone’s oceans,
smiling through

Growing Up

(G)etting taller, larger, or smarter
(R)eady to change things up
(O)pening up to new and different ideals
(W)anting to have more personal control
(I)nterested in deeper understanding
(N)oticing people in need
(G)iving without expecting something in return

(U)ndertaking more personal responsibilities
(P)articipating in activities with purpose

With a Gentle Hand - Mystic

Oh ye mighty hurricane, storm, or gale,
I cannot say, that I can e'er endorse 
the means by which you make your will prevail,
depending as you do upon your force.
Indeed, you just destroy the young and frail, 
as your wild, brutal tempest runs its course.
Young tender saplings grow into strong trees
'neith the sun, swaying in a

OVER THE INFLUENCE

My lungs fill as I inhale the smoky haze of the September breeze.
Overcast skies stare down on me until the guilt drenches my bones.
A puppet to the pressures of most I cannot control, gnawing at my ears until the only thing I hear is the deafening sound of my own thoughts.
I no longer wish to

The Reynolds Library 'Poetry society meeting exercise'

In the small town up the road from the farm where I grew up,
the library was in the town hall,
which was also the fire station,
which was also the jail house,
and later the Plumber’s place.

It was a friendly place.
The Boy Scouts met there.
They had all the Hardy Boys books.
And a hardy lot of boys, but no

Chasing the wind and butterflies

Chasing the wind and butterflies 
Blowing dandelions and watching them rise.
The feel of soft grass beneath tiny feet
Not yet knowing the feel of defeat.
Growing up 
Mud puddles to jump.
Catching fish in the nearby creek
Playing games of hide and seek.
Growing older
Standing shoulder to shoulder.
Reading books by flashlight
Giggling with friends all night.
The excitement of a boyfriend
Dreaming of

Overthinking

Where are you going? 
I ask myself 
In fear of knowing 
What direction am I rowing 
Is this where I want to be 
or am I growing 
I don't know who I can Ask 
Which is annoying 
Are these satans thoughts?
Is there something that they're imposing?
Or is this the cost of my sins 
The destruction

Timing The Market

At the supermarket, squeeze this,
sniff that.  Of course, color is the
first attraction: Fruit should not
be green -- vegetables must be!
So, green is not always best.
Children, take note! (Her daughter,
Little Genie, as ordered, wrote) 
And if the same price for
one, choose the largest and weigh...
but scales sometimes are purposely
light, seldom right. (Genie again
wrote) Now let's

Light in the World

Dear Heavenly Father
May our lights shine brightly
No matter how big or small
We often overlook the significance of seemingly small lights
We are delighted to be chosen as a light in the world
Influencing others for Your glory

When I Took the Old Way to Ames

I passed spreads of field
the places where farmers
made livings from soil.
The view enticed
but I couldn’t stop.
I couldn’t stop
but I couldn’t forget
times spent on uncle farms
before I went to college.
The morning sun shone
but memories in college
in Ames shone brighter.
There I learned
the language of love
the concepts of life
that I held in my hand.
Each book of psychology
opened worlds

This Navigator's Mainstay

...it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge 
would have strong encouragement to hold firmly 
to the hope set before us."
Hebrews 6:18

Family fortified me with support
to stay on top while testing the waters’ depth.
expectations, events, even "enemies"
were the wind and weight beneath my wings.
Worthy teachers buoyed me up with truth
communicating skill

• Short Growing Up Poems
• Famous Growing Up Poems
• Best Growing Up Poems
• Read Growing Up Poems
• Long Growing Up Poems
• Growing Up Quotes

Poems Related to Growing Up

growth, youth, mature, maturity, childhood, adolescence, juvenile, immaturity