Caitlin 'did it'
for the attention;
Her parents had just divorced.
She went on without limits,
and we averted our eyes
never saying the 'S' word.
The difference here,
I think,
was the timing.
All she wanted was affection.
The rule of thumb
is six months.
(Caitlin broke this rule.
She waited only two.)
Part of me chooses
to break up at five,
rather than face the natural
consequences.
The difference here?
My last boyfriend said
I was scared of commitment.
Colton 'does it'.
Frequently.
With him, I am not afraid
to use the 'S' word.
In fact, I say it
almost sweetly
to his face.
He responds by flipping me off
over breakfast at Perkins.
I am tempted to proclaim
that the difference here
is that Colton is a boy,
and that's part of it,
but I haven't quite
figured him out yet,
so I cannot say.
I read somewhere,
that when you are
with someone
you like so much that
Sex
no longer contains
kindergarten allusions
to cooties,
all rules of thumb
may be ignored.
Perhaps this is love
(which is what I'm waiting for).
The difference here
is that I'm a nonbeliever.
Author notes
I am a sixteen year old female, and the message i was trying to portray in this poem is that everyone is responsible for their own choice, hence the title of this poem. To me, this is such a sensitive topic that I almost feel innapropriate entering my opinion in this contest. I tried my best, though, so thank you. I would be happy to message you privately if you would wish to discuss this further.
A contest entry
- The First Time... by trista.
700 points, ended September 7, 2008, 20 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Any comments are appreciated.
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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Hi there...
You're right; this is a sensitive subject, also a very personal one, but I'm glad you decided to share your views of it.
Your poem brings out so many aspects and shows how different influences play a part in the decisions a young person makes. One reason I like this is because it isn't "preachy" and has a sort of emotional distance that makes it easy to see one subject from a variety of perspectives, without any one of them feeling "wrong".
From a technical standpoint I have no complaints either. Generally short lines like you have make a poem seem very choppy to me, but you did a good job with your line breaks, punctuation, and even the longer stanzas. Just an all-around nice job.
If I have any concerns with the poem at all, it's with the ending...I really hope you believe in love, because the world would be a pretty cold place IMO without it.
Thanks so much for entering the contest. I really appreciate it and wish you good luck.
Best wishes,
~J. -
well as a 17 year old guy who thinks he has loved but doubts that fact solely because of mothers of 12 year old daughters and such............ that when you break it down, sex is sex. i mean... even a mother HAS to know that. it will mean something when you think you love the person, it will mean something more then you both truly do love eachother. but beyond the stigma about it and all the stories, i mean chrissakes its natual and everyone wants it sometimes, so as long as you make sure you and your partner are willing and safe, there really should be no worry about it. and if you dont want to wait, find someone who feels the same way and you can trust yourself with. most of the time people hold off and hold off on the first time because its 'special'. really. think about it. was the first time you went to school special? sure, kinda. but you do it ALL the time now. just try to imagine how many times you'll do it by th end of your life, and then ask yourself whats special about the first? chances are, that probobly wont be your life-long lover! i dont want to sound like im saying 'go sleep around because you want to and its fun etc etc etc', but just think about what reasons you're waiting for. and if they're really any reasons at all.
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I see your point, but I hope you didn't get the impression that I'm holding out for something amazing and livelong. I'm rather cynical for that =)
Really, I wrote this because I enjoyed comparing and contrasting the logic and reasoning behind the decisions my friends and I have made.
Thanks for the comment =)
laurel
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i like this poem a lot.
unfortunately. i do believe in love. it exists. but i wish it didnt. it makes life so much more difficult.
i completely agree about waiting till the kindergarten allusions to cooties disappear.
great job.
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As a mother of of a 12 year old little girl I have to say waiting is most definately the healthier option for this "commitment" AND as a woman who was once a teenager who was in love every time someone paid any attention beelive me when I say commitment means so more when it is commitment to the others heart and soul... not just refraining from flirting with or having sex with another other than your partner.
When you are truly in love you will know it and love often takes a lot longer than 6 months to develop, sometimes a lot of years and a few tears along the way but you'll get there.
Don't be in a hury, just let it happen, it will.
beautiful poem and perspective from a 16 year old who faces their issues.
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hmmm...you offer an interesting perspective. i enjoyed the way you showed the comparison between the different people. very nice!
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