Bad Kids (Vincent Pierre Cheramie-Lafayette, LA)

As I left her house and cleared my thoughts

driving aimlessly, breathing in the cool night air

I thought to myself how many times we do these things

how many times we tell our parents we’re going to do

the very thing we promised to

when we have no intention of doing so

we hang up, telling them we’ll be careful

we’ll be safe

we’ll be good kids

we won’t do anything bad

and then we take another hit

down another shot

light another cigarette

and unwrap another condom

Are We Really Bad Kids? I have to ask

countless times, my mother would tell me

“Fait Pas Des Bêtises” and I would nod

all knowing that I would do the exact opposite

I don’t want to hurt my mother

I don’t want to ruin trust she has invested in me

that would be too much for any child to bear

no matter how much you say you hate your parents

sometimes living a life doing

exactly what you are told

exactly what is expected of you

can leave you being the person somebody else wanted you to be

We are all bad with a touch of light

We are all good with a stain of dark

A scar is always the beginning of a good story

but the blood lost can never be recovered

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