Two sides of 'me'

When I was young,
Life was easy,
Summers were then,
Slow and breeezy.

Now I'm a teen,
No more solitary voice,
It's a complicated life,
Everything's a choice.

Once just Mandy,
Now me and she,
I'd like to say "I",
But it's really "we".

There's a me on the inside,
And me on the out,
It's confusing us both,
And keeps me in doubt.

When I look on the inside,
I see a girl who,
Feels quite secure,
And isn't demure.

She's sure of herself,
Refreshingly cool,
She can handle it all,
And is so smart in school.

She's friendly and witty,
Commits to write in ink,
And she doesn't much care,
What anyone thinks.

But on the outside,
She's a shy, timid girl,
Who feels insecure,
And not all that sure.

A girl not in control,
Or gusty,
Or cool,
And merely average in school.

Not pretty enough,
Quite often a klutz,
Not gracefully nor witty,
And thinks no one really likes her that much.

Inside and out,
How long will it be,
Before I'm together,
And there's just one of me?

by Mandy Flaspeter, 18.
adapted from book "Taste Berries for Teens"