I Always Wanted To Tell You

Teen Boy

I ALWAYS WANTED TO TELL YOU

Mom, I always wanted to tell you…

Simply I love you.

But I never had the guts

And I don’t know why

When I love you very much.

I always wanted to tell you

I appreciate what you do

I wanna do better

I need to be a go getter

And get the sobriety and good life

That I’ve always wanted.

Published in Please Brave Me, Dry These Tears, November 2009

I Am

Teen Girl

I AM

I am a blue diamond spiral.

I am a Cadillac Escalade Infinity and beyond.

I am Skittles from the rainbow.

I am a blue berry tree with emotional pain.

I am a microphone from California.

I am a bed where thugs cry.

I am a pit bull who buzzes around town.

Published in Call It Courage, August 2006.

Because I Wanted To Be Loved

Teen Girl

BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE LOVED

Because I wanted to be loved

I kept all your secrets.

Because I wanted to be loved

I always kept myself in pain.

Because I wanted to be loved

I let you put that needle in my arm.

Because I wanted to be loved

I let you smack me around.

Because I wanted to be loved

I let another one of you touch me

like you owned me.

Because I wanted to be loved

I quit doing drugs.

Because I wanted to be loved

I stood up for myself.

Because I wanted to be loved

I always ran back.

Because I wanted to be loved

I tried never to argue.

I’m sick of trying to be loved,

Go away

I love myself.

If I Could Change My Life

Teen Boy

IF I COULD CHANGE MY LIFE

When I was little, I was a good kid.

I remember playing with other kids

Just to pass the time

And listening to birds chime.

Now I’m seventeen, committing adult crimes

And if I could change my life

I’d go back to being a little kid

When I used to fly kites

And ride bikes

When I was little.

In the Eyes of My Mother

Teen Boy

IN THE EYES OF MY MOTHER

In the eyes of my Mother,

I am a failure.

I am a juvenile punk

In the eyes of my Mother

I am a low-life punk.

I am not the son she knew.

I want to change

In the eyes of my Mother.

Published in I Am From, November 2007

What Seems

Teen Girl

WHAT SEEMS

You’ve seen me as many things

As a groovy chick

Who’s fierce and bad.

You’ve seen me as a bad thing

Sad and lonely

Mean and sketchy

You’ve seen me in good times

Chill and gravy

Fun and carefree.

But have you seen me

As the real me?

So many defenses to block you out

Because inside I’m really scared.

I love my Mom and sister

I don’t want to do these things.

My home’s perfect

I should stay there more often.

My heart longs for some stability

And I don’t mean a boy

I care too much to go on like this anymore

So, can you see the real me?

Published in Because I Wanted to Be Loved, January 2009. 

I Am From

Teen Girl

I AM FROM

I am from…

            A tweeker shak raided astrew.

There’s nothing I can do.

I am from…

            A closet smoke reeking through

I can’t even move.

I am from…

A place and color called Blue

Kicking it with my crew.

I am from…

            A broken and shattered home

Where jail’s always the end.

I am from…

            The corner selling shards where         

Lives always end.

I am from the dark…

            Where evil lurks.

 I am from the streets…

Where people get murked

I am from the other side…

Where people cry

I turn my face and hide cuz…

I know that I should have died

I am from this thing called…

Methamphetamine.

Published in Call it Courage. August 2006.