On the Edge of Seventeen

On the edge of seventeen,

Nary a boy or a man,

Caught I am somewhere between,

Uncertain just who I am.

But that ain’t good enough I’m told,

Nothing is as it appears;

Mixed messages from the old,

And of course those of my peers.

A crossroad if there ever were,

Upon two paths to go by;

At seventeen I walk unsure,

Knowing not how to comply.

On the edge of seventeen,

My uncertain course to steer,

Stuck somewhere in between,

Fighting to hide the fear.