A Poet's Progress
By Fox-Trot-9
7. Don't Do that or Else!
(11/30/08)
When I was a little kid, my parents always said,
"Don't play with matches or else you'll burn down the house,
Don't shoot people with your slingshot or else I'll be sued,
Don't draw nakedness or else God will condemn you,
Don't eat too much sweets or else your teeth will fall out,
Don't pinch people or else they'll pinch back,
Don't talk with your mouth full or else you'll choke,
Don't swear or else your mouth will fall off,
Don't swallow seeds or else a plant will grow inside your stomach,
Don't throw things in the house or else you'll break something,
And don't lie or else you'll be in league with Satan."
Now that I'm a teenager, my parents say,
"Don't talk back or else I'll disown you,
Don't think about things too much or else you'll get headaches,
Don't sway girls with your looks or else I'll smack you,
Don't dread things or else you'll dread everything forever,
Don't rub your nose or else that nose will be gone,
Don't drive recklessly or else you'll die in a car crash,
Don't turn on the stereo too high or else I'll destroy it,
Don't lose things or else you'll be a loser,
Don't get into fights or else you'll be suspended,
And don't make funny sounds or else others will think you farted."
But when I'm a parent, I'll tell my kids,
"Don't play with fire or else you'll burn yourself,
Don't talk to strangers or else you'll be kidnapped,
Don't hit people or else they'll hit back,
Don't break things or else you'll pay for them,
Don't poop in your pants or else you'll embarrass yourself,
Don't swing sticks around or else you'll lose an eye,
Don't listen to rap or else you'll upset the neighbors,
Don't judge people or else you'll be judged in Hell,
Don't lie or else nobody will believe you,
Don't talk with your mouth full or else you'll choke to death,
Don't be lazy or else you'll fail,
Don't cut in line or else you'll get in trouble,
Don't steal or else you'll go to jail,
Don't pull on girls' hair or else they'll hate you,
And don't scare me like that or else I'll get a heart attack!"
(To be continued...)
A/N: My parents were so damn strict on me, but as it turned out, it was for the better.
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A Poet's Progress ✓
PoetryGenre: Poetry. Summary: This collection contains my poetry during my freshman year in high school. It's a record of my development as a poet and as a person told in a collection of poems. I used different poetic styles throughout this collection in...
