I Don't Want To Hear It

"Those pesky phones,

they distract you from what really goes on.

You should put it down so you can learn what's occurring in your world."

I don't want to hear it.

"Today's kids don't watch the news."

I don't want to hear it,

because I will learn more on social media than from your outdated, ignorant political views.

I will learn more about sexual assault, rights, and equality on social media,

than just going outside.

I don't want to hear how easy I have it,

I don't want to hear "I used to walk home every day in blizzards with nothing but the shirt on my back."

I don't want to hear it.

"Back in my day we didn't have gay people, it wasn't acceptable."

In my day, we don't accept hateful people.

"School isn't that hard, why aren't you trying?"

I don't want to hear it.

I can't hear you over the mountains of homework that bury me,

the APA essays and "author before title" tie me down and let me sink.

You can't hear me for the district silences me,

attempted murder and the drug deals that you never see,

but you see the "s" in my citizenship which I call bullshit.

"It can't be real sexual assault, you don't even know what it means"

You don't know what it means when his hand is groping me and I'm crying,

blowing my rape whistle that no one can hear because I was "asking for it".

"When I was your age I was fighting for my rights"

I don't want to hear it because everytime I try,

I can't go past the line of "You're too young".

I don't want to hear that my voice shouldn't be heard when you were the one who asked me to get off my pesky phone.