You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.
There is a voice inside of you that whispers all day long, ‘I feel that this is right for me, I know that this is wrong.’ No teacher, preacher, parent, friend or wise man can decide what’s right for you – just listen to the voice that speaks inside.
Remember the sky that you were born under, know each of the star’s stories. Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the strongest point of time. Remember sundown and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled to give you form and breath. You are evidence of her life, and her mother’s, and hers. Remember your father. He is your life, also. Remember the earth whose skin you are: red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people are you.
Remember you are this universe and this universe is you. Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you. Remember language comes from this. Remember the dance language is, that life is. Remember.
Last year he wanted building blocks, And picture books and toys, A saddle horse that gayly rocks, And games for little boys. But now he’s big and all that stuff His whim no longer suits; He tells us that he’s old enough To ask for rubber boots. Last year whatever Santa brought Delighted him to own; He never gave his wants a thought Nor made his wishes known. But now he says he wants a gun, The kind that really shoots, And I’m confronted with a son Demanding rubber boots. The baby that we used to know Has somehow slipped away, And when or where he chanced to go Not one of us can say. But here’s a helter-skelter lad That to me nightly scoots And boldly wishes that he had A pair of rubber boots. I’ll bet old Santa Claus will sigh When down our flue he comes, And seeks the babe that used to lie And suck his tiny thumbs, And finds within that little bed A grown up boy who hoots At building blocks, and wants instead A pair of rubber boots.
Hurry the baby as fast as you can, Hurry him, worry him, making him a man. Off with his baby clothes, get him in pants, Feed him on brain foods and make him advance. Hustle him, soon as he’s able to walk, Into a grammar school; cram him with talk. Fill his poor head full of figures and facts, Keep on a-jamming them in till it cracks. Once boys grew up at a rational rate, Now we develop a man while you wait, Rush him through college, compel him to grab Of every known subject a dip or a dab. Get him in business and after the cash, All by the time he can grow a mustache. Let him forget he was ever a boy, Make gold his god and its jingle his joy. Keep him a-hustling and clear out of breath, Until he wins – nervous prostration and death.
When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, “Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies But keep your fancy free.” But I was one-and-twenty, No use to talk to me. When I was one-and-twenty I heard him say again, “The heart out of the bosom Was never given in vain; ’Tis paid with sighs a plenty And sold for endless rue.” And I am two-and-twenty, And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.
8. In the Blink of an Eye, by Jennifer Betts
In the blink of the eye, my world started to change. I went from walking to running to climbing and playing. In the blink of an eye, I made friends. I was scared to leave but their warm eyes welcomed me on my first day. In the blink of an eye, I found my first love. With their good looks, I was lost in a moment. In the blink of an eye, I was growing up. Rather than classes and homework, I had to consider colleges and futures. In the blink of an eye, my world has changed.
9. A Mother’s Love, by Line Gauthier
My child, As you climb Life’s journey To the best of my ability I will have your back And steady your ladder Always I will encourage you So whenever you look back You will see my smiling face Supporting and proud Cheering you on Unwavering I will be At the foot of your ladder
I was in love with anatomy the symmetry of my body poised for flight, the heights it would take over parents, lovers, a keen riding over truth and detail. I thought growing up would be this rising from everything old and earthly, not these faltering steps out the door every day, then back again.
I remember, I remember, The house where I was born, The little window where the sun Came peeping in at morn; He never came a wink too soon, Nor brought too long a day, But now, I often wish the night Had borne my breath away! I remember, I remember, The roses, red and white, The vi’lets, and the lily-cups, Those flowers made of light! The lilacs where the robin built, And where my brother set The laburnum on his birthday,— The tree is living yet! I remember, I remember, Where I was used to swing, And thought the air must rush as fresh To swallows on the wing; My spirit flew in feathers then, That is so heavy now, And summer pools could hardly cool The fever on my brow! I remember, I remember, The fir trees dark and high; I used to think their slender tops Were close against the sky: It was a childish ignorance, But now ’tis little joy To know I’m farther off from heav’n Than when I was a boy.
There are gains for all our losses, There are balms for all our pain: But when youth, the dream, departs, It takes something from our hearts, And it never comes again. We are stronger, and are better, Under manhood’s sterner reign: Still we feel that something sweet Followed youth, with flying feet, And will never come again. Something beautiful is vanished, And we sigh for it in vain: We behold it everywhere, On the earth, and in the air, But it never comes again.
If I had two wishes, I know what they would be I’d wish for Roots to cling to, and Wings to set me free; Roots of inner values, like rings within a tree and Wings of independence to seek my destiny. Roots to hold forever to keep me safe and strong, To let me know you love me, when I’ve done something wrong; To show me by example, and helps me learn to choose, To take those actions every day to win instead of lose. Just be there when I need you, to tell me it’s all right, To face my fear of falling when I test my wings in flight; Don’t make my life too easy, it’s better if I try, And fail and get back up myself, so I can learn to fly. If I had two wishes, and two were all I had, And they could just be granted, by my Mom and Dad; I wouldn’t ask for money or any store-bought things. The greatest gifts I’d ask for are simply Roots and Wings.
Up into the cherry tree Who should climb but little me? I held the trunk with both my hands And looked abroad in foreign lands. I saw the next door garden lie, Adorned with flowers, before my eye, And many pleasant places more That I had never seen before. I saw the dimpling river pass And be the sky’s blue looking-glass; The dusty roads go up and down With people tramping in to town. If I could find a higher tree Farther and farther I should see, To where the grown-up river slips Into the sea among the ships, To where the road on either hand Lead onward into fairy land, Where all the children dine at five, And all the playthings come alive.
15. Amazing to See, by Catherine Pulsifer
It is amazing to see How big they can be Yesterday so small Today so tall. Children grow up so fast Babies they don’t last The years fly by It can make you sigh. But watching them grow Is like watching a show The ups and downs The tears and the clowns. But no matter what the age And no matter what the stage Our love for our child always grows They will always be our baby you know!
Water the wonder that lives in your brain. Water your wonder with questions like rain. The more that you ask the more you will know. And watering wonder will help wonder grow. Wallow in wonder wherever you go.
17. Don’t Quit, by Unknown
When Things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and debts are high, And you want to Smile but have to sigh. When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won if he’d stuck it out, Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, You might succeed with another blow. Often the struggler has given up, When he might captured the victor’s cup. And he learned too late, when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown, Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint of clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar, So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit, It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, a student, or someone who enjoys beautiful poetry, these inspirational poems about growing up can engage your curiosity and imagination.
If you find one you love, write it down and commit it to memory. Share it with others who might enjoy a growing-up poem.
