The Wonder Years

So quick it went in a blink
The deeds of my youth
Went by in such a haze
Now the loss of hair expected
Receding baldness in all the genes
But what stuns is how different were my teens
Different from the existence of today's youth
Not only dress but how they vent
The cutting, scratching, mutilation
Wondering for whom those acts are meant
A cry for needs denied
Or something more that money can't buy
For the one thing I saw
Working years in a class
That some youth had parents
Just wish I could kick in the ass
No sense of discipline
An astonishing lack of care
Avoidance so bad
Made the heart simply tear
Yet today I can say
That in spite of it all
In letters they are despite
Odds standing tall
I don't claim to be savior
In any sense of the word
But at least I can some former pupils
Aren't just flipping the bird
At people who really care
No malice in their fight
Developed a strong sense of being
Even if parents they had to fight
So I can say even if I left the class
Burnt out with the work
Thoughtful students keep in contact
A most wonderful perk