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This Generation
This generation is broken.
Songs like faucets dripping one
swear word after another.
People being okay, blasé,
with the blood of a bad grade
on their formerly heaven-sent report cards.
A person sharpens their words like swords
and when an enemy is slain or doubled in
pain from words or fists or guns, there is
no punishment. Unless the public wants
a Hollywood scandal, unless something
in the offender has been vandalized and
someone wants to be hailed a hero, no one is punished for their sins.
This generation is dressed
in the clothing of warped words,
flying fists, and sly social media.
These are sweaters that we wear
because they make us feel better in
the bitter cold of apathy, of tragedy.
Someone comes along with that
same sweater and there are no compliments,
only an unnecessary competition of hate and suspicion
that leaves both contestants deprived and depressed,
worse off than before it started.
This generation is confused
with nice and mean. It might seem
like your friend is mad at you
when he says, “You jerk” or “You dummy”.
But while that was true, now the more he
uses those words, the more he is validated,
celebrated, by his peers. Including you.
Go the other way, and suddenly when he
says “I love you” or “I’m here”, the words grow
teeth and a time limit, a burden of expectations,
a feeling of intimidation, trepidation, following you so you make
sure not to lose the respect and effect that the words carry.
Then the kindness is spent and all there is is pent-up anger
like signs on the road that say “Danger, turn back”.
Somehow it’s okay to do that now.
This generation is fooled
by the media. TV, news, TikTok, any other
viewing site hides its bite
with upbeat ads and luring lifehacks.
Addiction weakens initial suspicion, a
vacuum that sucks until we’re buried in debris,
a scrolling spree that clenches its claws
and won’t let us free.
This generation once had
a halo over it. We were supposed to be
saviors of the world. Working both harder
and smarter than our ancestors, backs breaking
with the burden of our success
and the beaming smiles tossed our way.
Our parents hoped, wished, and prayed,
and now we’ve betrayed everyone.
This generation has been
leisurely losing its lustrous glow. The news and TV
are filled with traumas with no way to know
how to stop them.
This generation was not
supposed to turn out like this.
We destroyed the house of hope
and a new one out of the stones of disappointment.
This generation is
spent, severed, and sliced
into small, pointless pieces.
We have nothing left, no solution,
nowhere to turn until the next
generation comes along to save us.
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My Slam Poetry Final! So sad that school's almost done.