I’m 18. Now what?

“How did you approach life?” and I responded:

It came at me like a flood; the lights were on but I was dim.
18 and legal, a dolphin/baby eagle – it was fight: flight or swim.

LIFE.

I surveyed my surroundings and saw that others were living life just fine.
This thing about “being grown” was nothing more than a state of mind.

Right? You only live once, and there’s no side bar or demo.
How did everyone know what they knew? I thought I’d missed the memo.

I was an honor student, a nerd and I have to admit I hardly tried.
I had planned to entrepreneur and forfeit college – but moms said, “that’s a lie.”

She enrolled me into college, packed my things and dropped me off.
18 was such a new thing to me, the world was huge and I was lost.

Mind you, there was no internet when I graduated from high school
So my nerdtivity is what kept me in the loop and maintained my pro cool —

I hung out at the library.

I learned everything I ever wanted to know and some not so much.
It was shortly after that, I gave intellectualism a hug.

Yep. Good ol’ knowledge did it early on for me.
Who’s not turned on by something so good and it’s free?

I majored in Radio/TV/Broadcasting News
but backed out of that, turned off by selling others views.

I then went to Art school to learn film, theater and to take the stage.
I could feel my “grown” coming on. I was starting to feel that “grown age,”

or so I thought.
But grown wasn’t acquired with the knowledge that I bought

it just rendered me smarter.
Equipped with skills I had something to barter…

Writing school came much later post 3 kids of my own.
They were babies then however today they’re all grown.

My goodness, where has the time gone? Where’s that sidebar demo?
I think during the process of living I may have missed a few memos.

And then it dawned on me, “grown” happened while I was living.
Character was built through compassion and giving.

Dreams are manifested one decision at a time.
I used to rap in high school – today I talk in rhyme.

I’m not at the library anymore, but I do research online.
Life is sweet, the nerd in me can’t help but feed my mind.

It’s free right? lol! And so I continue to spill over and write.
I’m Qui
Humping this day with thee – reflecting on this thang that we call Life.

By divine design, it’s quite alright.