He burns to be a hero asphalt-sure.
She longs to make her own existence count.
They crave experience. They host impure
impulsiveness while consequences mount,
and vacillate from arrogance to blame,
too hip to learn, too negative to stride.
They’ll argue they’re adopted, change their name,
and flick their limbs with haberdashing pride.

That’s not unusual, at near-fourteen.
They teem with hormones and they rage with growth.
Self-conscious and exposed, they dash between
dystopic thoughts and energy. We both
had teenage years we thought we might regret.
We’re quiet now, and tending to forget.