All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Mrs. Red
One plus one equals two
A is before B
And the sky is blue
Supposedly simple concepts
Are taught from age two
But somehow I’m still confused
And my little brain can’t handle the new
Math equations that may be easy to you
Remember Mrs. Red
When you told me to take a breath
While learning about
Miniscule rules and tools
That often made me feel like a fool
Remember Mrs. Red
How I’d ask to go to the nurse
To lay in bed
And avoid your harsh words
And the horrid jerks
Of terror in my chest
When I was trying my best
Yet still failing to take a breath
Like you said
Remember Mrs. Red how I cried
Everyday and lied about feeling sick
Even though to be frank
In my uncontrollably vulnerable state
It wasn’t a myth
I just learned from you
That it was a phase
And I was not distraught
And there was nothing wrong
And that I would somehow
“Grow out of” this long
And drawn out
Knot in my stomach
Remember Mrs. Red
How I had trouble feeling
Because I was too busy reeling
In my last bit of exertion
And you were too busy seething
At how I was a burden
Remember how you didn’t tell my parents
To let them know
That maybe this is why I was having trouble sleeping
Remember how at 7 years of age
I felt like I was in a cage
Of my own pain and rage
That you helped create
And two years went by
Of wanting to die
Yet you still
Put my constant panic
On standby
Remember how you yelled
When my eyes swelled
With tears
And it took years
To rid myself
Of these irrational fears
You instilled in here
Remember how you taught me
How life would be
And how the feeling of wanting to flee
The feeling of wanting to be
Dead
The feeling of
Dread
And the feeling of being in
Debt
Of a carefree time
Is normal for me
And you were right
Thank you for teaching me
About what life would be like
Because I’m still right
Where I was 10 years ago
All because
Mrs. Red didn’t get the memo
That a little kid
Shouldn’t feel the way I did
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.
*Mrs. Red is a pseudonym
This poem, along with a previous one that I have written (Maybe I'll Be Okay), is a very personal piece. It is based off of true memories and experiences that I have as a kid. I felt like I needed to truly find a way to express these bottled up feelings in order to accept past events at least a little bit, so I wrote this poem in order to do so.