Don't Make Me Cry

Author: Yzela Palma

He said she was on the streets.
He claimed to see her.
Why would he bring her up?
I don’t even like her.
She abandoned me.
She doesn’t love me.
He just wanted to make me cry,
But I wasn’t going to let him.

He thinks that everyone in this class likes him
They all laugh at his jokes
He uses it to hide his own pain
Why does he have to take it out on me?
I have my own pain to deal with,
Leave me alone.
Don’t make me cry.

This poem is based on a situation I witnessed when a boy in the fifth grade class called a girl’s mom a derogatory name. It was really heartbreaking to witness this and I was able to speak with the girl for a minute after the class. She explained to me that she doesn’t like her mom and hasn’t seen her in a long time.