Wasted Youth

She glanced in the mirror at her reflection.
What she found there was far from perfection
She looked at her nose she considered too long
She looked at her lips that appeared all wrong

Her eyes too tiny, her lashes too thin
Her cheekbones too high and too rounded her chin
She hated her forehead, her skin type, her hair
She hated her looks and thought, life, unfair.
Then days turned to months and months turned to years
Girl turned to woman with new worries and fears
The woman grew older as time wandered by
Her face became wrinkled, her hands became dry
Now an old withered photo she is holding
She looks at the face that before her is unfolding
She stares at the pretty brown eyes full of light
She wishes them back with all her might
She looks at the radiant smile she hated
Looks at the glow of her skin that’s now faded
Beautiful color-rich hair she once had,
That’s now turned to silver and makes her so sad
She put her head down and started to cry
With beauty like that how could life pass her by?

Meloyde D. Macon, Missouri

In doing research for my column, I came across this poem. The title, “Wasted Youth,” is of course derived from the age old cliché, “Youth is wasted on the young.” This quote was coined by celebrated dramatist George Bernard Shaw, an author of Irish descent who consequently won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The notion of youth being wasted, in my opinion is quite absurd. Although this year I turn 30, I can still remember quite vividly how difficult it was being young. Youth, although synonymous with vibrancy, hope, energy, and beauty, is a confusing time filled with mental anguish and angst. Although the poem by Meloyde D. expresses remorse for not enjoying and appreciating youth, it completely portrays how when one is young, one has a low self-efficacy.
I encourage everyone who comes in contact with a young person to compliment them on something. I believe in a previous article I mentioned that although a child might do 100 things right, it is the one mistake that gets more attention. A negative comment can ruin a child’s entire day, and a positive one will help them continue to fight against their own mental struggles with identity and maturity.

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