As teenagers we’re told to ‘live our best lives’

And that if we don’t, we’re missing out somehow

Maybe that was true 20 years ago, but now,

When you look at a teenager, what do you see?

Chances are it’s not the radiance of the “glory days”

 

No.

 

If you look at a teenager, you’ll see t

The crushing weight of 1000 unread emails,

All sent out so they can decide which school

They want to spend the next 4 years at

 

You see missed opportunities hidden by working all day

To support their family

You see depression, anxiety, and other disorders

Masked by a simple “I’m fine”,

Which is probably the biggest lie we tell ourselves

 

When you look at a teenager, look closer.

Look at the childhoods lost taken by many,

Hidden by jokes and self-deprecation

You’ll see slouched shoulders, not from laziness,

But from crippling debt handed to us at the ripe old age of 18

 

We’re on our phones all the time – you’re right about that –

But instead of ignoring you, we’re documenting

The end of our lives in real-time, updating each other cross-country

And bearing their safety seemingly in our hands

 

But hey, we’re just teenagers so we haven’t learned anything, right?