I am..

I am a teenager.
I don't know the value of a dollar and am under the impression that money is
cleverly disguised as foliage.

I am dismissed by many of the generation who fear the day when
I become an adult, because then the world will surely fall to pieces.
Some will never know that I am compassionate, humble and patriotic.

I am an athlete, singer, artist and comedian.
I am a daughter, sister, student and friend.
I laugh and cry.
I speak out and I brood.
I love, dislike, and show indifference.

I will be the next Nobel Prize winner, best-selling author,
life-saving surgeon, president, or beloved teacher.
I have lofty dreams and the ambition to make them reality.
I have the determination and self-discipline to see every goal surpassed.

One day, one person at a time, I will show those who judge that
they are wrong.
When I am an adult there will be a new collection of disrespectful,
reckless, hateful youth.
Maybe, just maybe, when I look at them, I will see through the labels
and see the promise of a future generation.
For now, I am simply and proudly myself.

I am faithful, loving and honest.
I am inquisitive, intelligent and sincere.
I am a leader, follower and teacher.
I am a teenager.