Typical Times 39

His mom couldn't beat cancer like he couldn't pass High School Kept at it like a soldier drinks chemo, but the taste of isolation Seemed to always get in the way Had his father knew his own worth, He would've been the one telling this story But there's a reason why some boys are men at sixteen And some men play video games cos they got nothing to say It be a lie if I told you that suicide was never at the family table Or that it doesn't cling to a kid's backpack And forced smiles at the school cafeteria And it be a shame if I waited for too late Just to scratch a more profound poem out from my head His mom couldn't beat cancer like he keeps tryina pass High School But this year is the year he learns to say words like 'graduate' and 'elevate' Cos it's not natural for grown men to watch any and all sons slowly kill themselves It's not natural at all for a boy not to even know how to smile. From my next book of poems, Throw