Author Information
Another Teenage Catastrophe
No one gives us enough credit
Everyone insists we must be labeled
even those who openly despise stereotypes
Adults call us losers
failures to the world
The Next Generation is filled with
Emos
Preps
Goths
and not just Goths but
Candygoths
Neogoths
Romantigoths
Gangstagoths
I kid you not
Ganstagoths
and while half the Youth is
fighting
for the approval of the
Old
the rest are lying drunkenly together
speaking of drugs
sex
and nail polish
the newest record or
Saw movie
lying drunkenly
together
three sheets to the wind
their minds thrown out the
window
staring into space
contemplating the
Meaning of Life
and who that guy is in the
Abercrombie poster
And the rest of us
rest of them
the Youth with more on their minds
are struggling to live
to breathe
to speak to others and be heard
or listened to
without the haunting look of
surprise
that flits across our partners’
eyes
as they realize
they notice
the Youth isn’t completely lost
the look that comes as they realize
we are all not full of shit
as they notice we’re in control
making demands on the world
and learning –
thinking –
speaking for ourselves
and dancing to the tune of our own
thoughts
our own minds
our own pasts
presents
futures
our own pain and joy
our unique experiences
because no matter how hard you try
the old puts down the Youth
no matter how hard they try to
make us all
worthless
we are who we are
I am who I am
and you can try to pigeon hole us
pigeon hole me
but when the Youth is as different as
we
as in control as
we are
we shall not fit into your lies
because
believe it or not
someday I’ll be your doctor
and I’ll need to use my
emo hands
to help you live another day
but as a worthless Youth
stuck in a pigeon hole
how will I be able to
help you?
