Samantha Westwood

Rockville High School: To My Not So Favorite 16 Year Old High School Boy

For Billy Collins

Dear 16 year old boys,
William Hamilton knew 13 languages
by the time he was a young teen
you have gone in the opposite direction
changing your native tongue
so it will fit into
the 140 character limit
of your latest tweet
hashtaging your actions
you will never know how
to apply paint to a canvas
the way Picasso did
at the age of 16
when his painting won a gold medal
in Malaga
your achievements are measured
in your latest high score
of Flappy Bird
or whatever other mindless game
is the “next big thing”
while at the age of 15
Robert Fischer’s strategic moves
won him The World Chess Championship
but all of these figures are
either dead or irrelevant to you
so 16 year old boy
please get off your phone
or your Xbox
and change history just a little
by at least
taking a shower
or putting on some deodorant
at least once
Love,
the 16 year old girl
who used her IPhone
in this poem to sound smart.