WHEN YOU’RE SEVENTEEN

WHEN YOU’RE SEVENTEEN

By Farah Lawal Harris, 2025

U Don’t Know

what you’re doing after school

when you’re seventeen and just seen

two planes crash into buildings

during 3rd period Geometry

on the same day your favorite emcee

just dropped some heat.

All I Needed

was tears,

but instead, shock and avoidance appeared

so I had to let the Song Cry out of my

blown out ‘85 Toyota Corolla speakers

with the windows rolled down screamin’

“H to the Izzo, V to the Izzay!”

Fo shizzle my nizzle,

Ain’t No Love in the USA.

Ain’t no Blueprint for grief

when you’re seventeen

and hormones Takeover.

So I rode around with the music loud,

safe in sound.

—

Written for Day 18 of National Poetry Writing Month #napowrimo