When I get bigger, big enough to go somewhere by myself, I want to go to a land that’s far away. I want to go to a faraway land. I want to go to an island that has no people. I want to go to an island that has no pain or sadness.There are no adults, children, classmates, teachers, or my mom on that island. On that island, I can climb a tree when I want to climb a tree, swim in the sea when I want to swim in the sea, and sleep when I want to sleep. On the island, I think about the town I left behind. Kids go to school, as if nothing has changed. Adults go to the office, as if nothing has changed. Mom eats, as if nothing has changed.
When I think about the town without me, I feel a sense of relief. I want to go far, far away

~ “The Town Without Me” by Kayo Hinazuki
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I am part of a lost generation.
And I refuse to believe that
I can change the world.
I realize this may be a shock, but
“Happiness comes from within”
Is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy”
So in thirty years, I will tell my children
They are not the most important thing in my life.
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
Work
Is more important than
Family
I tell you this:
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
But this will not be true in my era.
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
Thirty years from now, I will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of my divorce.
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making.
In the future,
Environmental destruction will be the norm.
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this Earth.
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic.
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.
And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it.

~ "The Lost Generation" by Jonathan Reed