Suburban Adolescence
I remember the horrors of being young & how school was
More a case of survival rather than any kind of education
Apart from keeping your head down & trying to just get
On through but as I stood out, head & shoulders over my
Classmates from about 9 years old, it became hard, hell
Who we kidding lets just say impossible.
By the time I left primary school I’d developed a
Nemesis, some fucker who had the gall to send a friend
Request when the whole world went online, with whom
I’d fought almost every single lunchtime for a good
Couple of years already & all cos I was some kind
Of commie rat who deserved my kicking.
But if I thought that was bad big school was somehow
Even worse. I was taller still, now bigger even that the
Majority of my teachers, and stood out even more &
Somehow the fights got more regular as my nemesis
Came with me & soon developed a gang of like-minded
Fools who loved their Queen & country but somehow
They were soon forgotten.
Another gang came & their hate came raw & straight
For my jugular as these fuckers didn’t even go to class,
Just hanging at the back of the school until break-time
Came & their terror campaign could start all over
Again but somehow I survived even when they came
On bikes & gave chase from school almost all the
Way to our god-damn front door, which for once
I was grateful stood behind an entry-phone system!
But once they’d moved on school became great as
The only people there wanted to be there & wanted
To learn just like I did & somehow I feel in love
With it & never gave up school until I was 35 with
Three degrees & a lifetime of memories of all the
Great minds I’ve met & best of all I can’t even
Remember any of those horrible bullies’ names!
© Bradford Middleton
Bradford Middleton
The Loch Raven Review 