Reaction of the poem “Now I Know”

                                                           Now I Know

                                                             Jose Paulo Tolentino 

                                               Seven months felt like seven years
                                                and now I face my greatest fears
                                                   Why before I could never wait
                                                but now I know the heavy weight.

                                                    In a strange world, a mad city,
                                                         it is tough to be an adult
                                                          you take responsibility
                                                     to bear frustration and insult  

                                                 There are days I would like to die
                                                       life is not pretty as it seem
                                                Leave this and what do I redeem?
                                                   many I have learned is just a lie

                                                 They say I should create a goal
                                                 Love and life is what you make it
                                                 but somehow it just could not fit

                                                          All I have is a hollow soul 

                                                 From here I dont know where to go

                                                     Being a teenager, now I know

Reaction:

The poem is meaningful to me as it speaks of people who are afraid to show and tell a person how meaningful he/she is to him/her. For me, the feeling that is described in the poem is not particular for a "certain someone" but it can also be true for other significant people in our lives like our parents, siblings or even our friends. Sometimes, we tend to take these people for granted and become "cowards" in expressing what we truly feel for them.