When I found out that there was going to be a slam,
I went straight to my homeroom -- pen in hand.
I was going to write the next grand.
A story for my peers
A poem that captured the turmoil and glee of our, most precious,
Teenage years.

But, I sat down and wondered,
Who really cares? Who really wants to hear an epic drama titled “The Essence of Amy?”
My own life turned into a 16 year-old slam?
Would you even know enough to give a single damn?
No.
So, instead, I’m gonna write a poem that, I promise, our 21st Century teenage society will understand.

I wanna write a poem to the “popular kids,”
The athletes and stars --
The ones with all the clean, good-smelling cars --
Who don’t realize that
NO.
Money actually doesn’t buy eternal happiness
That consuming your life with superficiality
Is a road that leads to complete tackiness.

I wanna write a poem to the partier
The one who thinks all the alcohol and the drugs
The bad choices and all the lies will “get them farther”
Newsflash: In 20 years, when you look back, you’ll only be sorrier.

I wanna write a poem for the broken-hearted,
The lonely, lost and sometimes forgotten.
The ones who cry and cut -- hoping for relief from
This
Four-walled prison.
But
Let me console you:
Those bruises and fear? They don’t define you.
I promise that I love you
That you are a work of art,
Despite that ever-aching part of you
That lies and confuses
Forcing hurt and pain in every pore.
Don’t do that to yourself anymore.

I wanna write a poem to the smart student
The one who can see the future:
Except hers isn’t ruined.
A poem for her because she’s always so stressed
The one who can’t accept failure or mediocrity.
Who stares at her peers --
Eyes wide and quizzical --
Wondering,
“How in the hell did I get stuck with this imbecile?”

Lastly,

I wanna write a poem for me.
A poem that simply says,
LET IT BE.

You see, my friends, too often we lose ourselves
We get caught up in the drama --
The test scores
The parties
The hormones
The fears
The chaos
The phones
The friendships
And, sometimes, the tears.

Too often, when we look back, we’re faced with regrets
That’s r-E-g-r-e-t-s

We need to step back and take a look
To remind ourselves of what’s really important.

To remind ourselves to LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

So, I wrote this poem, out of my own fierce pride,
For the youth, the world’s future, personified.
Because it’s scary, but it’s true
The future is us, you guys
Don’t ruin it, just for you.