Dear Mr. Vernon

Dear Mr. Vernon
 
You asked for an essay but I’m writing a poem
Telling you about what or who do I think I am
But during school we are still finding ourselves
I cared but I just acted like I didn’t give a damn
 
All I know is how others saw me or called me
A quiet introverted shy weirdo basket case
I’ve attended Saturday detentions and tutoring
To make friends and memories of those days
 
But as we were coming of age things changed
I made friends outside circles and cliques
Sure my stutter made it difficult and a bit strange
I just didn’t know it would take years to fix
 
I didn’t mean to undermine your authority
But some of us kids had more pressure at school
We wanted to be noticed, we wanted to be heard
And some of us just wanted to be popular or cool
 
I tried to break out of those social constructs
I wanted to be unique from all the other norms
But sometimes my shyness seemed like conceit
That teen phase felt like a role we had to perform
 
I know you educators can be strict and tough
And many of you just desired quiet compliance
But to us kids those were some scary hard times
And many of us wanted some kind of guidance
 
Mr. Vernon, you’ll see me however you’ll see me
When I myself was still looking for my purpose
The goals and roles we had were only beginning  
But there’s more to us underneath the surface
 
Your truly,
STD
The Saturday Thug Detention Club