Seventeen
by Sunil Sharma
voice breaking
facial hair
a thin line blackening the upper lip
few pimples on that pale face
eyes gazing into future — like some gypsy fortuneteller
in an exotic tent in some European location!
casting off that angelic smile and kid-innocence
entering slowly — a forbidden realm
naughty adults teaching secrets of a wide wicked world
full of doubts, yet overconfident of winning the universe!
getting rejected/finding balance
going out/acting tough
floating in a dream world
yet —
cramming for chemistry, physics, biology
aiming to become wealthy and super successful
in a highly competitive world.
IMAGE: “Self-portrait as a young man” by George Frederick Watts (1834).
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Moving to the second decade of a short life is like a roller coaster ride. Years getting blurred. Flying away on a fast wind. Bewildering changes –biological, emotional, psychological. World — an open university. Rough and tumble of life ordinary, yet certain dreams and energies! Well, 17 is a magical year — transition stage into early adulthood.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mumbai-based, Sunil Sharma writes prose and poetry, apart from doing literary journalism and freelancing. A senior academic, he has been published in some of the leading international journals and anthologies. Sunil has got three collections of poetry, one collection of short fiction, one novel and co-edited five books of poetry, short fiction and literary criticism.Recipient of the UK-based Destiny Poets’ inaugural Poet of the Year award—2012. Another notable achievement is his select poems were published in the prestigious UN project Happiness: The Delight-Tree-2015. He edits English section of the monthly Setu, a bilingual journal from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Silver Birch Press 