One poem is
"Teenage Pregnancy" by Delroy N. Williams. He takes inspiration from the poorer areas
of Dominica, where he grew up, and this poem speaks to the parents who do not take an interest
in their children's personal lives. When there is no communication between parents and children,
there are consequences:
All I wanted was an occasional hug
and kiss,
To live in a house full of blessings and bliss.
You taught me to
talk but never talked to me,
You taught me to walk but never walked with me.
It is the responsibility of the parents to fully educate their
children on safety, morality, and proper conduct. If the children are given only the basics --
"talking, walking" -- and left to their own devices, they will act and react in ways
that emulate their peers. Without a baseline of proper conduct, there is no reason for them to
think that unprotected sex is bad; after all, everyone is doing it!
But now, I want you to talk to my little sister,
Because shes growing up even
faster.
Shes already getting the attention of the boys;
[...]
Boys
will definitely take advantage,
Because she looks a lot older than her
age.
Mommy, talk to her please!
(Williams, "Teenage Pregnancy,"
jetzzzpoeticexpressions.blogspot.com)
The plea of the
narrator is for the parents to take a more active role in the personal life of her little
sister; the narrator now knows what can happen, and how, without the lessons that should have
been taught but were not. If her sister can be saved from the same mistake -- becoming pregnant
before she is physically, emotionally, and intellectually ready -- she will be better prepared
for the adult world. The narrator has lost her childhood too early; she wants her sister to be
saved from the same fate. Without involved parents, this is far too common; the poem is a plea
to parents to be involved, a warning to children to learn from the mistakes of their siblings,
and a cautionary tale about acting like an adult before one is mentally prepared to accept adult
consequences.
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