High School Reality~ By Yvonne Brown

I want to cry.

I want to cry for the class clown who starves
at home while his mother gets her hair done

for one of the twins, who feared their mother
was going to hell for what she did on earth,
“Ms. Brown, she was an alcoholic.”

I want to cry for the quiet student who knows her
mother was placed in an insane asylum

for the senior who wrote his own obituary two
weeks before he was killed after graduation

for his baby brother’s mental health as he watched
his friend’s sport RIP shirts all over school

for the good kid gone-bad, and his struggle
to turn it all around

for the heirlooms of racism that some parents
pass down to their children

I want to pray.

I want to pray for the angry young man that
fights others to hide his pacemaker

for the sixteen year old girl whose father is
a crack addict and mother lives with AIDS

for her courage to cleanse the stereotype
of a “crack baby”

for the fifteen-year-old mother who passes
her sonogram around class
oblivious to the added challenges of her
tender future.

I pray for the child that knows “ghetto”
is a state of mind and the difference between
Medicaid and CareFirst

I pray for the gang member that wants to get out
but does not know how

for the young man that lives in a seven
bedroom house and wants the streets to accept him

I pray for the teacher’s fortitude to serve
the community for they make a difference
even when the “thank you’s” are scarce
and the demands are high

keep treading on

your purpose is to help, encourage, and give hope

on the darkest day.

Your role is to be there.

Author Bio:
Born of an Iranian mother and American father and then adopted by an African American educator, Yvonne Brown is no stranger to cultural clashes. She serves as archivist for the Toni Morrison Society. Her literary experience ranges from educator to published author. She also serves as the Executive Director for the Phoenix/Medina Writer’s Project Inc. a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy for disenfranchised individuals. She lives in the Washington metropolitan area.