Dreams Forgotten

By Todd A. Smith

Dreams forgotten

And a future lost.

You never knew the potential

You could have reached.

You had aspirations of

Greatness when you grew up,

But unfortunately chose to

Grow up way too soon.

You began hanging with the wrong crowd.

Running the streets late at night

Trying to impress the young men

From the wrong circle.

You fell in love

Or so you thought.

Dreaming that your prince charming

Would be your protection

And your guiding light

Throughout the rainy days of romance.

You gave him what was so precious

Something that you could only give

To that one special person.

You felt as one

You felt inseparable

Your family warned you of the

Danger of associating with his sort

But he was your knight in shining armor

And your future

No matter the consequences

You forgot about your schooling.

Who needed school when you had a man?

He would take care of you

And be your backbone

Or so you thought.

Then came the news.

The news that would officially

Make you all a family.

He seemed enthusiastic

When you gave him the news

But when that special day arrived

You were all alone.

Alone in world

For the first time in your 16 years

Alone to raise a baby boy

In a society you knew so little about.

You had always dreamed

Of attending college and marrying Mr. Right

But what was so right

Had gone so very wrong

You had always looked down

On those unwed mothers

And never knew that one day

You would be that young lady

With a baby

And no where to turn.