To Sum It Up

By Bonnie T., Newton, MA

Scold me, and I'll disagree.

Yell at me, and I'll resent you.

Alienate me, and I'll rebel.

Hurt me, and I'll never tell you the truth.

Tell me I'm stupid, and I'll never forget it.

Hit me, and I'll never trust you again.

Forget about me, and I won't come home.

Push me too hard, and I'll fail.

Tell me I'm wrong, and I'll argue.

Hate me, and I'll hate you more.

Believe in me, and I may believe in you.

Understand me, and I may understand you.

Tell me you're sorry, and I may forgive you.

Love me, and I'll you.

This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.

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snazzyshades said...
Dec. 6, 2011 at 5:41 pm:

i absolutley love this poem it reminds me a lot of the relationship tht i have with my mom

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KLM705 said...
Dec. 6, 2010 at 3:24 pm:

I like this poem because it has repetition. "yell at me, and I'll resent you" (line 2) is my favorite line because I don't like when people yell at me, and after a while of them yelling at me, I start to resent them. One thing that can make this poem better is the last line "Love me, and I'll you." This line confuses me because I don't know what it means.

Yasmeen replied...
Jan. 1, 2011 at 5:10 pm :

I REALLY enjoyed this poem, its absolutely amazing! However, one line was a bit awkward and undescriptive , and that was "Push me too hard, and I'll fail" - the entire poem was expressed and emotionally written out. However, that line was stated, and not so much expressed with feeling. I would change that with all honesty, but the poem was absolutely amazing! It was great, but has the potential to be excellent!Keep Writing!

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703mmc said...
Dec. 6, 2010 at 3:22 pm:

I like how the mood changes in this poem. I like how it started angry, but then it gets happier. When you start saying positive possibilities like "Believe in me, and I may believe in you./Understand me, and I may understand you./Tell me you're sorry, and I may forgive you." (lines 11-13), I started to think how I can relate to it, but in happier ways.

But the last line confuses me when you say "Love me, and I'll you" (l.14). It makes so sense. Is it supposed to say "Love me, and... (more »)