imagine a girl
13 years old
a little naïve and extremely confused
prey to a dude who doesn’t need the corner game
‘cause she gives him money and gifts
from stuffed animals to MP3 players
walks three miles in the biting snow
just to lay down and let him fuck her
(cuz yeah, she’s in love, right?)
one day he feels kind enough
to get her a ride home—
dude’s next-door neighbor in a black SUV
so she gets in the car
he waves goodbye
and now she’s that dude's property.
life didn’t go that well, y’see.
so imagine this girl
16 going on 17
known to be a freak
wants to go away go somewhere far
and she does.
and here it goes again
meets a dude how do you do
starts out fine starts out nice
gets her alone and she don’t know what to do
she tries to be polite but polite only goes so far
with these types
and she don’t know why but she knows what he wants
and she tries to talk her way out but
here it goes again.
life doesn’t go that well for me, see
i’m mean because i have to be
i’m mean because every time i try to be nice to
YOUR KIND
i’m stuck with at least one of you tryin’ to tap it
i’m mean because you’re all too mad to see that
just because i’m friendly doesn’t mean i wanna fuck you and
no i’m not easy and
don’t call me pretty
don’t ask for my number and
no we can’t be friends because i really
tried to be nice and i
tried to be kind and yet
daily you disappoint me you tell me you love me
before you know my name
like you’re tryna get ahead of the game.
but i think it’s just mainly black dudes,
so maybe i’ll get me a latino man,
filipino man,
any-other-race-than-black man cuz
the black don’t understand how to be a real man and
the black don’t understand that every time i say
here it goes again
i’m moving one step closer to the end
and i’d rather be a diamond six feet under than your dollar-store jesus piece for a day.
maybe i’ll go somewhere somewhere far
and hide beneath a veil of nothing cuz maybe just maybe
under that i might be somebody,
not a someone who, in the eyes of her brothers,
is worth nothing
at all.
Please tell me what you think
Sorry, you cannot respond to an archived poemReviews
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Powerful, disturbing and very real!
This hits hard. It's so real; there's no doubting this has been inspired by life experience to date and that adds to both the credibility of the poet and the honesty of this piece; straight from the heart. A hardened heart.
I applaud the way in which you tackle this subject both in your words, which are true to yourself and also the style - it verges on a rap...almost...and I like the liberties taken with language which fit perfectly here:
"daily you disappoint me you tell me you love me
before you know my name
like you’re tryna get ahead of the game."
Great, if painful to read given the subject matter.
"here it goes again
i’m moving one step closer to the end
and i’d rather be a diamond six feet under than your dollar-store jesus piece for a day."
Perfect. You say 'stuck-up bitch'. I say 'go girl!'.
The last stanza is frighteningly real too. How many people are prepared to anonymize their identity and simply blend in to stop the rot?
Food for thought.
Mart
. Rewarded 4
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Hey Chih
i have no problem with the poem itself i think you impoved with sticking to the topic and not straying off course.
When you said in authers notes this is going to be a slam i said ah-ha. i've been to some slams which can get pretty trite and cliche with someone ranting about "the man" keeping them down,--yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it. but here you take a stance thats polically and culturally incorrect and expressing this may be unpopular. but hey apparently this is your experience so what can people say, that your making it up. anyway I'd give you a 10.
dave. Rewarded 4
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Thanks again, Dave!
It's good to know I didn't fly radically off-topic like I tend to do.
I guess because this one had a purpose right from the start.
And about slamming political incorrect poetry...where I'm living, it seems like being politically incorrect makes you a jewel. People here like it when you bare your soul. They like it when someone (not everyone, though) gets offended. And I feel like if I read something like this, which I've been meaning to get off my chest forEVER, I might earn a couple extra points for honesty and courage. Maybe.
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i feel ya
Yes my sista - rise! If these are real experiences - you have had your share at such a tender age. But what does our society know about maturity. I feel your every breath and plead with you and for you, but before you let these words come dribbling across your lips - remember that they can not be taken back. It is not what you put in your heart and have suffered but you will be judged on your reaction and what comes out of your mouth. Choose those words carefully and know that the righteous are not always applauded.
This was a very endearing write and you have enormous talent.
-Bic. Rewarded 4
Mart
January 27, 2007
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