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40 Years Tomorrow
by Genevieve Sturrockthe first 10 were spent
learning how to survive
the second 10 were spent
learning to hate myself
the third 10 were spent
punishing myself for failing
the fourth 10 were spent
learning to accept myself
and now, i know
parents are human
and make mistakes
even while loving you
they hurt you
but they are, after all
only human
kids cannot control
the environment they
are raised in
but they are, ultimately
responsible for
their own behavior
we are all destined
to repeat the mistakes
of our parents
if we are unwilling
to admit that
we are, after all,
only human
love is
simple
complex
frightening
comforting
and to love
without condition
without expectations
without comparisons
is the most
difficult of tasks
but
if it is not
unconditional
then love
is not
truly
love
40 years tomorrow
i will be
and i can say
without a doubt
that i have
learned to love
myself
without
condition
and now
i can accept
the love of others
life is good
and the next 40
will be....
perfect 12/01/2008 Posted on 12/01/2008
Copyright © 2025 Genevieve Sturrock
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 12/01/08 at 06:12 PM I sure hope so. It sounds like you've definitely earned it. Loved this, especially the beginning. |
| Posted by A. Paige White on 12/01/08 at 06:42 PM Happy Birthday sweetie. Wonderful reading here and I can sooooo relate. |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 12/01/08 at 08:43 PM There is a lot of wisdom in thie piece and Happy Birthday to the 'birthday girl'. The biggest problem is I don't believe any two people agree on what love is. Most tend to agree on what it isn't, but few seem to agree on what it is. |
| Posted by Meghan Helmich on 12/01/08 at 09:41 PM gen, this is fabulous. i hope i make it to 40 and feel just as happy. |
| Posted by Dave Fitzgerald on 12/02/08 at 02:24 AM Great poem Genevieve. I turned 40 earlier this year and I understand everything you say. However, as a boy I am, as ever, less mature than girls my age and therefore have a lot of learning to do :) |
| Posted by Jared Fladeland on 12/03/08 at 04:41 AM i think the hardest truth to realize in my life is that my parents are not the smartest or best people in the world. it makes the rest of the world a very scary unstable place sometimes. |
| Posted by Lori Blair on 10/31/11 at 02:09 AM Excellent! I can't even tell you how many times I have told my eldest I never got a handbook on how to be a mom..one day i hope he understands! |
| Posted by Mo Couts on 12/14/15 at 02:24 AM I love everything about this poem! I am going to turn 30 next year, and while I am not worried about it in the slightest, I think it's so crucial that we keep up with our feelings and state them. How gorgeous. Thank you, thank you. |
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