Never Too Young (slam poem)

They think because we’re young that our opinions don’t matter, Like we don’t know enough about the world to have a say Therefore, we have to live constricted by a narrow path that they’ve created for us And if we dare step off that path, we’re instantly labeled as disrespectful They think because they’re older, they automatically deserve our respect Even if there isn’t a single drop of respectability in that individual adult Just because they’re older doesn’t make them wise Just because they’re older doesn’t make them right Just because they’re older doesn’t mean their opinions, their feelings, their ideas get instantly placed above ours They think because we’re young that we don’t know stress, but we’re pushed, pushed, pushed harder everyday that we can’t even enjoy this bittersweet thing called “youth” One minute, they’re saying “grow up!” And the next, we have no right to act like adults and make our own decisions So what do they want? Maybe they’re just jealous With their weaker bones and diminished energy, maybe they’re jealous that their hearts and minds are too full of prejudice and disappointments that there’s hardly any room left for understanding and compassion They think we’re too young to truly know about love, as if we need gray hairs and decades of life to ever know what love is, but we may know more about it than them Our youthful hearts are open windows more accepting to differences and new ideas due to our innocent curiosity, while theirs have been closed like bolted vaults for they’ve turned their curiosities into fear Juveniles don’t invade countries or start wars over things like religion Adults do Looking around, you can see children and teenagers of every race and religion hug, hold hands, laugh, love, and smile while the so-called “mature” people who rule the world act like babies, whining and throwing a fit about the things they don’t understand Just because they’re older doesn’t make them wise Just because they’re older doesn’t make them right Age shouldn’t determine who does or does not deserve respect It shouldn’t determine who has a voice and who must stay silent It’s just a number