The Teenage Condition Poem by Luca Doss

I try to escape the norm by dressing like everyone else
I try too hard to be cool and lose sight of who I am
I dye my hair different colors to shock people even though my intention is to attract attention
I say random things and show off so I can get a reaction
I try to get in the pants of every guy I meet to boost my confidence and self-esteem
I talk about drugs and sex all the time even though I’ve never tried them and have no friends
I dress like a ghost to look scary and dark to turn people off when I’m actually really lonely
I’m a prep
I’m a jock
I’m a punk
I’m a goth
I lie to myself
I hate my parents
I have unprotected sex
I do drugs
I break the law
I’m going nowhere
Even though my life’s just begun
I wanna kill myself
I wanna hurt myself
And sometimes they wanna hurt me
I’m going insane, can you tell?
The mood
The tune
The shapes
The colors
And the overall scent
Consumes my happiness
And leaves me spent
I cried
I yelled
I loved
And I begged for help
No one listened
No one cared
They just looked
Their eyes judged
And their hearts stared