A Letter to McKenzie

Hey little McKenzie. I haven’t known you for too long, but I feel like in such a short time In mind and body you have grown It’s true I know I’m not your father But please don’t grow up too fast A lot will change in the next few years So there are a few things that I ask Of you Avoid the stereotypes and natural forming cliques Because these people around here Will inadvertently make you sick And will try to entice you With all kinds of “cool things” Like having sex before marriage And not waiting for wedding rings They will pressure you into believing That down this road there is no grieving That smoking weed at school is cool And there are no consequences for heavy drinking But that’s not true I don’t know what kind of high that you would get But I promise that in the future It’s something that you’ll regret Those things will lead to more And the more will lead to others And soon you find yourself in a hole Searching for cover But maybe I am being irrational Because you are better than that I just don’t want to see you get caught up In all of this high school bull crap Where the cool kids run the school And teachers do nothing to stop them As they prance throughout the hallways Cursing and always gossiping Laughing together at the kids That they are currently ostracizing On social media sites, which shows the younger ones What is really poppin’ Making them think that sagging pants and Showing cleavage at school is cool And instead of respecting their bodies They do what the rappers and strippers do Like treating women as property As if they are only tools for pleasure Calling them bitches while the females Smile like they can’t be labeled any greater And the kids that were ostracized Go home and hate their lives And decide to come to school the next day With guns or knives To take revenge on the kids that were Laughing while they were crying And ugh… man But no, that’s not cool Don’t engage in any of that Just be yourself and find friends That will love you and have your back Don’t let anyone pressure you into thinking That these things are cool Be the example for these lost kids Be the one that those who follow you want to be like I admit that I am guilty of a few of these things already, But be better than me Because if you do, then this corrupted place might actually Become something more than just a factory for stereotypes I don’t know. I’m just talking now. I know you don’t want to hear me rambling on all day, Since you have your entire life ahead of you Places to go and people to meet All that I ask is that you do not forget about me And what I have asked of you, Little McKenzie