I’ve Started Getting Younger
I’ve started getting younger.
I’m aging in reverse.
Although that might sound awesome,
there may be nothing worse.
Last week I was eleven,
but now I’m only eight.
Tomorrow I’ll be seven.
I’m frightened of my fate.
Next week, if this continues,
I won’t know how to talk,
and pretty soon won’t even
remember how to walk.
They’ll put me back in diapers
and after that, I fear,
while drinking from my bottle,
I might just disappear!
This started on my birthday.
Without a moment’s doubt,
I wished to not grow older
and blew the candles out.
I never share my wishes,
but now I’m telling you,
because I’m really hoping
my wish does not come true.
— Kenn Nesbitt
Copyright © 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Reading Level: Grade 3
Topics: Birthday, Wacky Weirdness
Poetic Techniques: Irony, Narrative Poems
Word Count: 122
About This Poem
Have you ever dreamed about not getting any older and just staying young forever? I know I had that thought once or twice when I was a kid. But what if that wish actually came true—but not in the way you expected? This poem plays with the idea of aging in reverse, turning what might seem like a fun, magical experience into something a little more alarming!
I love writing poems that take an ordinary idea, like making a birthday wish, and turning it into something unexpected. This one also has a playful connection to classic stories like Peter Pan (who, along with the Lost Boys, never grows up) or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (about a man who ages in reverse) but with a humorous twist. It’s a reminder to be careful what you wish for… and maybe to think twice before blowing out those birthday candles!
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