That is dark. Good for you for being willing to take steps if you saw a student write something similar. Most wouldn't get involved.

Oh Medeia!!! But you see I thoroughly understand how this is so real at 17!!! Oh yes!! Well done you!!!
:-)

Take care
x

Congrats on meeting your goals, Medeia. That blog hop sounds very interesting.

Wow that is dark. And you said it was mild too.

So now days they encourage teachers to report when students poetry or fiction like this? What do they do, just have them talk with the counselor?

Well done on your goals, and I agree yes dark but amazing all the same

Alex - Thank you. I didn't like it when I was a kid and had teachers ignore things.

Old Kitty - Thank you. :)

Kelly - Thank you. :)

Suzi - We have to be vigilant with any signs of bullying, abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, etc. in writing, drawings, behavior, and speech. We refer red flags to counselors and administrators, and of course report to parents. Sometimes these things are due to curiosity, creativity, and play, but they may hint to a deeper problem.

Michelle - Thank you.

Bah! This is so NOT worrisome in comparison to the poems I wrote. And this is actually a good little poem. I love that you participated in this, M. So fun!

Wow... beautiful but really disturbing. I'd be concerned if I were a teacher, too!

Yes, dark but lovely, very lovely.

I used to teach and if one of my students wrote that, I'd have to tell the counselor, just to be sure there wasn't a deeper problem looming.

Medeia...I think this is very insightful for someone in their teen years. Sadly, there's more truth in those lines than many teens get in an entire year.

I'm actually disturbed to see that there's a question of 'reporting' a teen for expressing themselves powerfully with words!!?? There's no threat of self harm...(which would cause a worry). And what's 'disturbing' about a poem that talks truthfully/openly about poverty, gang violence, teenage-pregnancy, quelling the inner-self to 'fit-in' and the like? This is what kids are dealing with. To take some time to talk with the student would be appropriate, but reporting them??? Sorry, I become deeply troubled when I consider that fear of being 'reported' or thrust into some guidance office will most definitely cause teens to self-censor.

Thanks, Christa. It was my pleasure.

Thanks, Julie.

Thanks, M.J. Sometimes there is a deeper problem.

Nadja, thank you. As a teacher, I've seen students in danger in some way. We're actually required to report certain things whether the students meant their words and actions or not. Even though I wrote many dark things, and stronger poems than this one, and I was just expressing myself at the time if I were to see the same today I would be worried. Then again I didn't share such things with my teachers and I wrote for myself.

Next to some of the journal entries and poetry I wrote in junior high, that doesn't seem that disturbing at all. I always wondered what would've happened if a teacher had seen some of the things I was journalling about, like the jerks who were bullying me and how depressed that was making me.

Carrie-Anne - Things have changed since I was in school. I remember some adults getting involved back in the day, but many did not. Now faculty and staff take bullying more seriously and there's zero-tolerance, at least where I am. I'm sorry you went through that.

Wow. I so felt this. Thanks for sharing.

Oh man, I think teenage poetry is ALL about angst and darkness and melodrama. I know mine was! This was an awesome specimen. I'm so glad you shared. :)

Thanks so much for participating, Medeia!

Oh wow - your children will live in a worse one?? *bursts into tears*
Seriously, this is light stuff compared to poems my husband wrote at this age. Must be all those hormones - if it isn't sex, it's death. Or something.

Yep, it's a grim poem!

Amy - Thank you for hosting this.

E. Arroyo- Thanks for stopping by.

Melodie - I'm glad to see I'm not alone. ;)

Dezmond - Yes, and thank you for stopping by.

Dark but honest. I'm glad to see you've moved on to brighter things

Wow...just wow! I had a poem for a class in 1986 that the teacher did say it was his job to come talk to me about because it had the topic of suicide in it. He took my word that things were a.o.k. and did not send me to guidance (but probably should have!)

I can see how an adult reading that would be worried, but it's not that bad actually. most of my poems in high school were pretty dark. I had a friend print one off for me for my Writing Club senior year and her little sister saw it, didn't understand the assignment for the poem and thought it was a suicide note...so her parents kind of freaked out. Whoops. ahah

-Lauren

Congrats on reaching your goals, Medeia!!!! :D

Heather - Thank you. Me, too.

Andrea - I'm glad the teacher talked to you. These days we're urged to send those issues to guidance.

Lauren - I adored Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton at the time, and even tried to emulate them, so some of my poems came across that way too.

Stina - Thank you. :)

It is dark but full of emotion...like a 17 year old feels!

Holy moly! That's some serious poetry! I love reading stuff like this from seventeen year-olds, because it reminds me that we really FELT stuff back then, you know? All that bullshit about being young and happy and carefree... We cared more about things then than most of us care about anything now.

Thanks for sharing!

Congrats on getting so many of your goals accomplished. You must be exhausted. Take some time off and recuperate. :-)

I find it amusing that so often teen poetry is so dark. I know mine was.

And I love using the kindle for edits. It's such a great tool!

Reading your poem (as well as some of the others) had confirmed what I long suspected - I was a very shallow teen. I don't remember ever thinking about the larger world around me. But then again, I can't remember what I actually was thinking about back then. All of this does make me wish I had kept journals or something during those years.

Wow. Really well done. Love it. Great job on the goals too. I wish I was doing that well. :)

Well done on meeting your goals.. must feel good.

What a great blog hop! I loved reading your poem - my writing as a teenager was equally gloomy although less self-assured.

Hey, I'm from the teenage blog hop-- this is dark, but especially for teenage work it seems deep without becoming ludicrous... Deft, I'd say. No wonder you kept them!

Brinda – Thank you.

LisaAnn – I agree. I had stronger feelings back then.

Lexa – Thank you. I will rest this weekend.

Lynda – I’m getting tired of that robotic voice reading my WIP to me, but I know it makes my manuscript stronger.

Jocelyn – I regret throwing away and shredding my journals. I’m even more curious about how I thought and felt back then. I only have these poems as reminders.

Mina – Thank you.

T.F. – Thank you. I didn’t finish edits last night, but I have only a teensy bit to do this morning. Still, I did well for this round.

Beth – Thank you. I’m glad I participated.

KO – Thank you. I’m glad I didn’t throw them out with my journals.

You rock! Way to go on those goals :D

I guess I'm not a typical teenaged writer because I have zero poetry in my journals. I do have some short stories, and those are pretty dark :P

Fun blog hop!