Poetry Slam #2

This is the poem that I read at my school's second poetry slam. I hope that you like it!

The “T” Word

Have you ever realized how the world looks at teenagers?
Drugs
Gangs
Sex
All-Night-Binge-Drinkers-and-Partiers-of-which-no-good-can-come
Mouthy, Smart Alec, rude punks with too much money in their pockets and too much time on their hands
Too much time on their hands

I don’t know about you but I’m kind of the opposite
Opposite of the last one anyways
I flop around from one thing to the next so much that I’m surprised that I even have time to sleep
Sleep… that’s a beautiful word
Whoever invented that word should win the Nobel Prize for, “Services to Adolescents”
I mean, really, I bet I could ask if one of the three applied to you after school today and you’d say yes; Work, Homework, or Starbucks
And I use the term Starbucks loosely
You can replace it with hanging out with friends or Serious Coffee if you want

Kids these days don’t have any time to GET into trouble
If you’re like me, and you are, believe me, you think that life’s too short to pass up opportunities
Opportunities like a job
Opportunities like playing on the school soccer team
Opportunities like going out with hot guy/girl you like
Opportunities like being proud of the mark you got on that math test or English essay or Art Project
Opportunities like going to Mexico and making a difference in the lives of the underprivileged
Opportunities like performing onstage in the school musical
Opportunities like getting that Louis Vutton bag that you’ve wanted, like, forever

But if you’re like me, opportunity is synonymous with responsibility
Responsibilities like going to work and telling those old ladies, “Yes, I’m sure that it costs 3.99, and yes I’d LOVE to hand you off to my manager”
Responsibilities like practicing hard and playing in all the games you can
Responsibilities like finding out what that special someone digs in someone else
Responsibilities like studying until 2:42 am for that stupid essay that you know Mr. Jung is going to give you on the unit test
Responsibilities like raising money and preparing for that Mexico trip
Responsibilities like giving your all and showing up to those rehearsals Monday and Thursday after school
Responsibilities like paying your mom or dad back for that extra $80 they lent you to get that totally chic purse

And responsibilities you see, create stress
Some people have a life that shelters them against the worst parts
Stress equals tired equals downward spiral equals OH-MY-GOSH-HOW-CAN-IT-BE-8:20!
Equals late for school equals didn’t get all the lesson equals fail the next test equals dissapointment
Equals lapses in judgement
Equals Drugs
Equals Gangs
Equals Sex
Equals those parties that no good can come of
Equals mouthy, smart alec, rude punks with shaken up priorities that you don’t know a thing about,
So stop pretending that you’re the authority on all things juvenile

But don’t think that I’m excusing us from any of it
But we can change

What I’m saying is that this terror produced by, the “T” word has got to stop

World Peace
Duck