Wednesday, October 05, 2005

What is Youth, by Ann Ballard

What is Youth?

by Ann Ballard (BloodrootZ Nonfiction Editor)

Youth deals not with age in years

It comes from what we are inside

It lives within the spirit and soul

And grows with new experiences tried

Youth is not a physical thing

A challenged body plays no part

It’s life and love, laughter and tears

It is what lives in soul and heart

Love stays young and spirit smart

Without a perfect physical shell

When soul and heart continue to seek

Stimulation in life, and apathy quell

Spirit can leap and dance and sing

The mortal body may not keep pace

It matters not what the body does

Spirit is life, youth’s saving grace

(This was previously published online as part of the Northwestern University Writers' Project circa 1999)