This Coming Of Age

Looking for answers, striving for truth
Balancing maturity, while preserving my youth
The pendulum of life swings ever-so-fast
Looking toward the future, turning away from the past

The road of life can be tough to navigate
So many negative forces from which to extricate
Finding my voice, having my say
With no signposts to mark the way

It's never been easy, this coming-of-age
A neophyte upon life's stage
But in this role, no lines have been scripted
Or if so, they'd be uselessly encrypted

Experience isn't something you can get for trade
You can't learn from mistakes somebody else made
No, in this life, it's all on YOUR shoulders
So become wiser, not merely older