That Boy

By: Briana M. Campbell
Age: 13

That boy I used to know
It seems that your life is now a show
Now you loiter on a corner
With that look of disdain smothering your features

That boy I used to speak to
You were the kid I thought I knew
Now you hang with those thugs
Trying to look big and tough

Sure, I hadn’t seen that boy in years
The last sight of him he was smiling ear to ear
Now he has these horrid scars
And some bitter permanent sneer

That boy who cried when he scraped his knee
You’ve changed and it’s plain to see
To witness you like this makes me feel a wave pity
But it is not like you need it
You choose to be who you’ve become
With a gun on your waist
Looking like all good in your life has been erased

That boy could be misunderstood
Maybe he wants to do the things he knows he should
Maybe somewhere in that boy is the kid I knew
Some nights I wonder what it’s like to walk a day in that boy’s shoes