Ode to Teens (the Cygnet and the Swan)

The Cygnet and the Swan

‘Tis hard for a cygnet, whose color is a dusky grey
Whose skin is soft, and hairs are astray,
Who can’t swim as well as those around her,
Who is much weaker than her friends.
‘Tis hard for one so small and thin,
Stumbling over her own feet,
Having trouble eating with grace and thrush,
Fearing the slightest movement in the bush,
But the hardest thing for one like her
Is being accepted when those around
Are lovelier, smarter, and stronger than her.

‘Tis hard for the fingerling, smaller than a dime
Who fends for itself when its siblings perished without a crime
Who fears the light, and any large sight
Trying to feed on the things with the least amount of might.
‘Tis hard for the fingerling, when the slightest breeze
Blows it every which way, with the slightest of ease
Who longs for a day, when he could be strong
While he himself feels like he won’t last long.

‘Tis hard for the yearling, who on its first year must grow
Whose mother has left it, to live on its own
In a world of cold and lonesome elude
Tree bark and snow are its only food
While others lurk, to taunt and demean
Waiting, just waiting, while their advance is unseen.
‘Tis hard for the yearling, who is struggles with life
after emerging from a time with little worry and strife
Who longs for a day when its horns grow big
And its diet is more than meager tree-bark and twigs.

‘Tis hard for an eyas, on its cliff-top home
Who is taunted by its siblings who make the world like a tome
Who can never eat its fill, unless someone makes way for its bill
Which never happens in his family of four.
‘Tis hard for an eyasse, whose thin clothing
is not thick enough for the winds of the cliffs loathing
Who longs for a day, when it flies free and away
To a life of honor, power and endless prey.


‘Tis harder for the cygnet, loosing every feather
Who already could not fend off the weather
Who grows only clumsier as her body grows messier
Whose skin secretes more, making her oily and dirty
And her fuzzy warm feathers come off in a flurry.
Her temper rises, in uncontrollable ways
Repelling a chance for comfort and relays
‘Tis harder still for the cygnet, in this time of change,
As she learns to cope with this life’s endless pains

‘Tis harder for the fingerling, as he grows bigger still
Making it harder to hide and eat his fill
As he too feels the pack of hormone
It becomes harder for one who is alone.
‘Tis harder still for the fingerling, who must learn fast
Otherwise, his life wouldn’t last.

‘Tis harder for the yearling, for as the snow melts
Rivers separate it and the places it dwelt
Bringing more of its friends to crossing the rivers
Who bring many to loss if they’re not good swimmers.
‘Tis harder still for the yearling as its challenges grow
And life’s struggles continue to unfold.

‘Tis harder for the eyas, who is now a-fledged
Is expected to become a hunter, alleged
To do what others expect it must try.
But first it must fly, by plunging into the sky
The fledgling in dread, whose feathers recently unfurled
Must plummet down into a new-world.


This ode is for children, who must take this plunge,
Who have high expectations, who are alone,
Who have noticed the truth about their childhood home.
These children have hope, as do many teens
For this time is special, a time to discover
This is when children learn about themselves
About what they truly have
About the world they live in
About what they truly crave
About what they are inside.

Those who are selfish, who heed not the way these children are
Those who pass through puberty in little pain
Might have missed this chance to suffer and travel unfairly far
But when they don’t suffer they don’t learn
The pain they missed will come, and when it comes around it shall violently burn
Never give up, those who suffer
This time of pain shall make them tougher

And soon, as we all shall see:
the Eyas will fly free, and becomes a noble Falcon
the Yearling horns grow in, and it becomes a brave Deer
the Fingerling grows, as time knows, into a swift and powerful Marlin
and the Cygnet becomes a Swan