I love the seventh grade;
Instead of whipping the horses,
I'm holding the reigns back
They laugh without restraint—
Excited about nothing—
Points that are ultimately meaningless—
Overjoyed to earn something without material worth
If only their joy continued—
From year to year,
From junior high...to high school,
And from high school...to wherever the hell they end up—
Before the boys discover the pleasures of s** without commitment,
Before the girls gain weight and notice how ugly they are when they look in the mirror,
And before they all learn how truly insignificant they are in the big bad world
I tell them that they're capable of anything
And that they're handsome and beautiful:
“Don't sell yourself short.
“Be bold; be daring; be strong.
“You can become what you will.”
I teach them the value of self-worth—
Not to be confused with self-esteem:
“You're not worthless.
“And don't let anyone tell you that you are.
“Each of you is worth something to someone.”
And I hope that I'm not lying to them;
I hope that somebody, somewhere, values them
If not, I hope that they gain the good sense to find someone who will