Most teenagers
Sometimes I wonder…
are they all stupid?
Most teenagers with real homes—
they have fewer problems.
They don’t watch their parents fight.
They don’t live with step-parents
or step-siblings.
They are not beaten
with canes or wires.
Their parents don’t pour anger
onto their skin.
They don’t save in secret
just to have something of their own.
And yet…
they are the ones who say they’re depressed.
They chase freedom early—
while we stand guard,
waiting for ours.
They cry when they’re shouted at in public—
we’ve been disgraced so many times
we stopped caring.
They follow good examples
until they lose themselves.
We follow bad ones
just to prove we won’t become them.
They crave piercings and tattoos.
We crave freedom.
They want to be called “bad.”
We just want to be seen—
for surviving.
So tell me…
Who am I
to want what they want?
Who am I
to crave
what most teenagers crave ?
F