From the time I was very young,
My mother always told me
To stay pure.
Be a lady
Drugs are bad
Alcohol will kill you.

But most of all,
She told me to stay away.

Stay away from the bad boys
Though their pull may drag you
Towards them.
Stay away from them.
Those boys will lie to you
Deceive you
Destroy your mind.
Mutilate your sanity.

They will hurt your heart
They will hurt your mind.
They will try and hurt your body.
But you must not let them,

The bad boys want on thing
From beautiful girls like you.
One thing only.
And you must never give that away.
That is yours.
Keep it as long as possible.
Never let anyone take that
From you.

Be safe love,
She said every day
Before she sent me away.
Don’t be stupid.
Don’t do anything i wouldn’t do.

My father always taught me
How to defend myself.
Hit here
Hit there
It will cause those trying to hurt you
More pain than they can ever inflict upon you.

But how can i hurt anyone else
When I’d rather hurt myself.

My father always told me
To be myself.
Not let  anybody change who i am.
To stay true to myself.

But it was hard
Being me
When everyone is trying
To get me to be like them

After I grew up
I was replaced
By a younger version of me.
A new baby.
And not long after another
New baby.

But they didn’t tell my brother
Not to turn into the boys
That i was warned away from.

And they didn’t warn my sister
Away from the bad boys
Or away from drugs.
“Go ahead.
Try it out”
she said to her.
She gave the younger girl
Sips of her whiskey
And wine.
She never told her to
Stay pure.

So they became
What I never could.

They were free
And different
And loved.

They were never
The way i was.

I was different.
And quiet.
And oh so simple.
And not like everyone else.
But my siblings
Are the same as everyone else
They don’t stand out
They blend in

I wish I blended in.