Long forgotten are the days of yore. Memories that haunt my waking hours ever pressing. For it is in our nature to relive those glory days - the sting of the crisp winter air, the shuffle of leaves on the back porch, the spring wind always nipping at ones lips. A time when life was complicated yet looking back all so simple. Those were the days we learned to love and loss, to hope and dream. Those are the days that forever haunt me. 1
In solace we hold onto the winds of nostalgia. Yet day after next more seems to blow away. Like grains of the finest sand always slipping between your fingertips. Forever I look back on the people and places that have defined me now, often wondering "where are they now?" How much of ones childhood can a man hold onto until all is lost? To say the least, in the end of the day it never mattered how tightly one held on but how willing they were to let it all go. 2
Warm summer nights conjure up days of endless dreams, now alien to even myself after all these years. Days when nothing in the world mattered but the moment. Forgotten smiles and wild nights held the tightest sway over all we surveyed. It was those nights that defined me, those nights that kept me awake after all these years. Questions forever unanswered.3
The pain of being young seems to trivial now - for I am old and much wiser than I was before. The daunting drama of everyday life now seems so senseless. For now all I can do is look back and smile. For these were there good times and the bad. That was my life. 4
No drama held more water than realizing you are young and truly alone in the world. Losing one friend seemed to be enough for most people. Though I did not lose just one friend, I lost them all. It left a pain in my heart only time could heal and for years I questioned why of all people, why me? For once I had chosen the right path - a path that was the only responsible choice I have ever made. Yet it was a path of loneliness and despair. For to walk down that road ment I could never look back, no matter how lost I may seem. A path free from addiction and hopeless nights.5
To wake up and realize that things have changed for the better is like breathing in the first of the chill winter air. Nothing seems so clean and pure. Then, reality hits you. Did you leave everyone to there fate? Were you the one that turned your back? You rationalize it. The countless nights lost to drunken stupors, the frenzied hours of amphetamine-laced days - that's what you walked away from. You walked away from the fun and excitement of your youth. You walked away because it was the right thing to do. You choose to walk away because you have lost all hope in those you cared most about.6
You see to them, you were cold.
To yourself, you couldn't care anymore, it was too hard.7
And so time drifts on. Friendships rekindle, hearts are mended. Yet in the end of the day after five, ten years down the road, you suddenly realize that in the end, you were only young. 8
When you realize that, it will be the coldest winter you have ever felt.9
And it is those days I will miss the most as I grow old.
Author notes
I figured everyone was trying for some crazy teenage drama, I wanted to touch on a more poetic side to youth. A more surreal expose that everyone could read and relate to in some way or another.
In a list
A contest entry
- The Teenage Mentioned by Kyndal Laran.
180 points, ended February 17, 29 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest
Any feedback is good feedback, be as critical as you can please. Ignore the minor spelling mistakes.
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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Agreed, coldest indeed
This special piece made my day and I thank you for that. I feel overwhelmed. I have never been in a drunken stupor nor addicted to drugs but many of the thoughts written felt close to heart.
The transition period may be easy to some, but hard for others. When realization hits, or 'enlightenment' dawns upon some, they may not realize it but the body goes into a shock state because it's an automatic, involuntary reaction: the body rejects changes and maintains the so-called attained balance within parameters (which happen to be wrong, sadly). Maybe... that's how they (the people) go into depression. And in the end, like what you said, it's how much they're willing to let go, pull themselves together and move on. Changing is hard to do and accept but they can't escape that phase because they need to go on with life. Not wanting to sound like a 'know-it-all', it's only because I happen to be one of these 'others'. ):
Apart from needing many edits on the grammar part, I love how this piece goes. Oh wait-- okay, I just reread the whole thing to assure you that I know what I'm talking about- in paragraph 3, "questions forever unanswered" seems to be quite vague there.. Is it referring to the questions in paragraph 2?
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thank you very much for the review. this is by far the best critical post I've gotten on any of my pieces and for that, i thank you. As for the 3rd paragraph question, im not sure! haha! I'd have to key into the mood i was in to answer that question so you can see it can be rather difficult to explain. as for the grammatical errors, well thats what they make editors for
I'm always working on grammar, everyone is.
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Absolutely beautiful write and amazingly descriptive. I couldn't pull my eyes from the lovely words of this piece. I really enjoyed reading this.
Only mistake I found was in paragraph six in the line 'Did you leave everyone to there fate?'
I believe 'there' is meant to be 'their'.
Overall, good write
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I absolutely love the way you began this. It was really good. Also, you have amazing vocabulary, great word choice.
I though the sixth paragraph was amazing. I thought this was amazing, and I love how you decided to write something like this. It is refreshing to read something so and poetic like this. Really great job.
[but i don't think vampire are stupid, maybe werewolves, but not vampires. LOL]
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i like
The melancholy rings very true. A lovely poetic rumination on the pasing of time.
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very wickd
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Thanks. I guess i was going for something different with this instead of the daily drama and bullshit of teenage years. Kind of like a look back at those days from a person now much older and wiser because of those actions he took in his teens
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Beautiful. You truly captured romanticism in your style of writing. This was achingly beautiful and so true. Very very well done.
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Thanks for the comment. You know, you look like someone i used to know. odd
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