I’ve grown and I’ve learned That high school isn’t a place for adults Adults who’ve formed the ideology that if you’re harmed It’s all your fault because you should’ve been armed
Adults who think the only way to defeat your demons Is to drown them Yeah, what a treatment
Because when you’re being called names ****, *****, ugly And all those words dig deep into your veins They don’t understand that all those words Mocking you, hurting you, challenging you Are simply chains that wrap around your body refusing to let go
If nobody will say it then I will
We’re all cowards! We preach safety, love and kindness When all we do is go backwards and downwards Into the graves we dig ourselves! The truth is we all need guidance.
We judge **** victims down to the core Because she must’ve wanted it, right? Because while she was screaming for air In the very hour she was suffering We all cheered and refused to hear
Because we weren’t there. Because we weren’t her!
While he was screaming help That he’d taken one too many pills And was on the verge of dying What did we say? Take more! Because we thought he was only whining. We thought he was only playing.
I’ve experienced pain Don’t you dare tell me to get over it. Please don’t add another chain.
I’m tired of this thing called bullying That if it happens to you, just say no Whoa. What a great idea. Because while I’m being kicked and beaten My hero is the word no
But wouldn’t that give my demon a reason To keep the pain going Because while I’m bleeding You tell me they’re only teasing.
But It’s okay because I can take it At least that’s what I’ve been told
It’s okay because I asked for it At least that’s what I’ve been sold
We’ve been told that when boys are mean to you They like you. We’ve been judged for our femininity In the sakes of boys who can’t grasp the idea that our bodies Are not an invitation for their disgusting masculinity
Constantly we’re told by adults that boys will be boys And there’s nothing we can do about it Because all we are to them are toys. And if we make a noise We’re being prudes Because boys will be boys.
I’ve grown and I've learned that high school isn’t a place for adults Because their solution is to ignore until there’s nothing more to ignore And they continue to pass down this ideology That your pain should be hidden Because nobody cares about the victim
We live in a world where we’d rather call out people’s faults than our own Because it’s a lot easier than realizing that we’re all broken down and weak Because no matter how loud we moan at the words thrown at us No matter how big the rivers are becoming on our cheeks “Deal with it,” they say Because someone else has it worst But maybe their best is my worst and my worst is their best
Maybe that boy you watched getting bullied wanted to stand up and say Stop and no and all the other words you’ve drilled into him for centuries Or maybe he’s scared that they’re right about him being gay About him being himself. But hey, it’s okay. Because we’ve been told that we’re not human Unless we’re straight, White or meet the standards of beauty
I won’t apologize if my words make you mad Because if you’re angry at the truth Then I’m doing my duty. And nothing makes me more glad.
I’ve grown and I’ve learned that adults Don’t know how bad it gets Until there’s nothing more to get
That you’re supposed to fake it Until there’s nothing more to fake
I’ve grown and I’ve learned that the only thing worse than death Is life itself That nobody cares until your last breath
And no matter how much pain I feel I should smile through it Because I’ve been told to deal with it
Because unless I’ve been hit by a train My pain should remain only in my brain
It took me a very long time to even think about doing this poem. All the poems I write are meant to make people aware of the issues still going on in the world, or to boost someone's self confidence. However, I needed a different kind of motivation for this poem and I'm happy that motivation came along because I'm so very proud of this.