Lessons Learned as a Teen

My father does not care

About how I feel

I'm his Pillsbury doughboy

To do with as he will

 

And if I resist

I will be placed in a headlock

Because he should be able to do he wants

And not be asked to stop

 

My mother does not care

About how I feel

If my emotions are not expressed with virility

They shouldn't be real

 

I am simply to be

My father's emulation

And what makes me me

Should reach stagnation

 

Nearly 20 years later

I have much to undo

I recently remembered that the control trickled down

To even the way I held a spoon

 

Scratch that - cutlery

That life was incredibly  real

And I never received tangible or spiritual compensation

From such a raw deal

 

And my queerness

Was to be concealed and denied

It's no wonder I barely had friends

When even to myself I lied

 

I might have been told that I was unique

But I was made to feel like a curse

A burden to be looked after and isolated

And upon my parents' eventual death- left for worse

 

The experience - ghastly

The lesson - grotesque

And now I must spend my life

Attempting to rectify the mess

 

This poem is about: 
Me

Comments

HumanMe

Sending you love. Beautiful writing. Yes, me too, much to un-do, to re-learn, to live

a wonderful, meaningful life bringing the whole of who I am into the light. Your poem is my gift today. Thank you. 

TailsRules

You're welcome

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741