Being Teased at Twelve | Teen Ink
  1. Home
  2. Poetry
  3. Free Verse
  4. Being Teased at Twelve

Being Teased at Twelve

March 7, 2013
By Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
More by this author
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile

When I was twelve
the boys would tease
that I was not like
them—they’d accuse
me of being different:
I was not like their
kind, alike to other boys;
“You are not the same:
fags are not like men
—they are not men
at all…Hell no!”
And I’d feel less of
the man-boy I was.
“Queer, queer, queer,”
they’d chant, and
the word stuck to me
with some invisible
but painful glue.
“I bet he has no pubes,”
one would say;
“I bet he is just a little
girl underneath all
those boy clothes!”
the other would claim;
then they’d all laugh
at me, making me feel
less human than I’d
already felt; they’d
press their tongues
hard against the insides
of their cheeks, when
I’d pass by them,
never understanding
the secret joke they
all understood and
giggle at like several
schoolgirls. Once,
they stripped me
of my pants to make
sure, I guess, I
was a boy, while I
wept; no boy should
ever suffer that
cruel humiliation
from their own peers,
the boys he plays
with, the boys
he shares thoughts
and dreams with,
the boys he trusts,
the boys he thinks
like blood brothers.

No one understands
—no one ever wants
to understand why
other people aren’t
like them, why people
live different lives
unlike their own,
why other people
choose a separate
lifestyle to live
regardless of the
prejudices of their
fellow human beings
—no one dreams of
being judged or
discriminated for
being different, but
then again, no one
ever dreams of
being abominably
different from
their fellow
brothers and sisters,
children of the
same father.

© Christine W., Waynesville, OH

Post a comment
Submit your own

Similar Articles

Previous Next
Poetry
Love Is Weird
By sHaDoWnInJa PLATINUM
West Jordan, Utah
sHaDoWnInJa PLATINUM, West Jordan, Utah
31 articles 0 photos 3 comments
View profile
Poetry
Perfectly
By Christina Rudolph BRONZE
Lilburn, Georgia
Christina Rudolph BRONZE, Lilburn, Georgia
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments
View profile
Poetry
Cracked vase
By Dale CROUCH PLATINUM
JOPLIN, Missouri
Dale CROUCH PLATINUM, JOPLIN, Missouri
29 articles 9 photos 0 comments
View profile
Poetry
Secret Crush
By C.J.H. BRONZE
Benciao City, Taipei County, Other
C.J.H. BRONZE, Benciao City, Taipei County, Other
4 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Sometimes the world tries ot knock it out of you. But I believe in music the way that some people believe in fairy tales.&quot; August Rush(2007)

View profile
Poetry
you see me
By XxUnforgivenLovexX SILVER
Des Moines, Iowa
XxUnforgivenLovexX SILVER, Des Moines, Iowa
6 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
to be or not to be that is the question

View profile
Poetry
Fear
By Keasbey GOLD
La Habra Heights, California
Keasbey GOLD, La Habra Heights, California
12 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I will no longer pray on my knees, to a god who&#039;s left me so many times. I will no longer pray on my knees, to a god who won&#039;t answer my call.&quot;

View profile

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 12 comments.

Mckay ELITE said...
on Sep. 12 2013 at 4:52 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile
Thank you, Super_Fan...or is it Toshi now? XD Either way, I'm very grateful for you commenting on this poem. 
Superhero_Fan SILVER said...
on Aug. 15 2013 at 9:15 pm
Superhero_Fan SILVER, Tomorrowland, California
7 articles 1 photo 163 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Impossible; for How many people did you know who refracted your own light to you?&rdquo; - Fahrenheit 451

View profile
That was amazing! I loved it Mckay. You captured my interest at the title, and held it fast as I read through the emotion. Great job, as always, and thank you.
Mckay ELITE said...
on May. 15 2013 at 7:28 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile
Thanks. I'm so happy that you felt the emotion in this poem. It's very raw and emotional. It hurts me to read it even now. Becuase I remember the awful things people said, not that all of it is actual. They would say things that weren't even true. Just things to hurt. I'm happy you could relate to it. And that it had such an effect on you. Thank you so much. ^u^ It makes my day.
Mckay ELITE said...
on Apr. 26 2013 at 7:05 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile
Awwwww. Thank you. It is emotional and personal. I'm glad you feel that way. Thanks.
Fallen_ PLATINUM said...
on Apr. 26 2013 at 7:03 pm
Fallen_ PLATINUM, Quakertown, Pennsylvania
25 articles 3 photos 433 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot; a shattered world is only an opening into a new beginning with laughs, smiles, and love all around enter the world of the light and away from the broken darkness&quot;

View profile
This is a intense sad poem but it makes me feel like this is personal and i makes me want to beat the bullies it also reminds me of things but it was so amazing beutiful and deep plus insightful i just wanna curl up and read it again and again soo well done
Mckay ELITE said...
on Apr. 23 2013 at 2:08 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile
I'm so happy you see it that way. Because it is. At least now I see it that way. Thanks for clarifying my own poem to me. Thank you.
Zach_M said...
on Apr. 22 2013 at 7:26 pm
I understand this poem, and it was written to an extent of personal feeling. As if you understand how it feels for those things to be done to you. You point out that it's wrong, and that people should love each other, but you a face a despair of regret of whom you are; hating who you are inside. This poem has much more to do with life in general, than just predjudice. great job :D
migwam ELITE said...
on Apr. 22 2013 at 2:37 pm
migwam ELITE, Tumwater, Washington
240 articles 20 photos 151 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

View profile
At twelve, I was a country girl attending an inner-city school where kids grew up way too fast and I was still swaddled in  a blanket of sexual innocence. People called me a lesbian because I hung out with lesbians- I didn't understand what was so wrong with that. Five years later, looking back, I suspect that bullying, along with my parents' hateful and open homophobia, has had a greater impact on me than I realised. I admire and salute those who have endured things like your poem describes, and stand strong, creating for themselves a world where they don't have to hide. Where no-one has to hide. This poem is so raw and so real, it brought me to tears. Thank you for reminding me what so many of us go through that makes us who we are.
Mckay ELITE said...
on Apr. 22 2013 at 1:52 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile
I dont' mind you asking. As a matter of a fact, I appreciate it whole-heartedly. Some it of is partly true; the rest is not. Thank you for commenting and for loveing it. And right back atcha. Keep rockin' and writin', Laugh-it-Out. 
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM said...
on Apr. 21 2013 at 12:53 pm
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light&quot; --Dylan Thomas

View profile
I hope you don't mind me asking, but is this a personal story? Never mind that, this was so raw and filled with emotion; impeccable job, really. I loved it. Keep rockin Mckay.
Mckay ELITE said...
on Apr. 8 2013 at 1:40 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

View profile
YES! I knew I could count on you. And THANK YOU so much. I always appreciate your feedback. 
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND said...
on Apr. 6 2013 at 1:08 pm
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. <br /> - Maya Angelou <br /> When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn&rsquo;t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out<br /> The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay<br /> If love produced a blossom/I&rsquo;d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I&rsquo;d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven<br /> And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

View profile
Is this the one you were talking about?? Hey, This is SO FILLED with emotion, I loved your flow through the poem and I felt the agony. The anger and furstration, I felt this poem. Beautiful.