The poem reflects on the conflicting desires for independence and belonging. The word dichotomy truly fits with adulthood according to my opinion but what is adulthood to you? What does transitioning from your tween and teen years to your 20s or 30s mean?

When you're on the verge of adulthood

You become a small fragment of an ice floe 

struggling to stay afloat in a vast ocean.

You no more nose into dictionaries to unearth the right words for how you feel.

Instead, you writhe within the confines of your limited vocabulary, 

Grasping at phrases that almost capture the essence of your heart.

You wander like a stranger in your empty space 

and call overcrowded trains your permanent abode.

Your Spotify memorizes the queue of your go-to songs, 

without aligning them into a playlist.

People around you treat you as harshly 

as the people behind the screen of your laptop. 

So you master the art of distancing yourself 

from everything that promises conformity.

Your weight fluctuates

between underweight body mass index 

for being too light with adoration 

and above it for hitting the ground 

in an attempt to carry the burden 

of your troubling thoughts.

You fail plans. 

You plan failures. 

Your haircuts do not resonate with your changing personalities 

and your demeanor grows fangs.

Your Pinterest board echoes depression alerts 

which you abhor and evade

 to make your lament aesthetic.

Your skincare forgets the location of your cheeks

Teardrops soak your skin more than night creams.