When People Look

This is from a play I worked on.  In this scene...  

KALE, a bully, shares a very personal poem with his class.

“When people look at Kale,

They think, ‘Epic fail,’

Or, ‘That kid’s goin’ to jail.’

When people look at Kale,

They think, ‘His ship has sailed,’

Or, ‘How much to post his bail?’

Well, people who look at Kale

Need to study their Braille

They’re blind, ’cause that kid is frail

His hands are shaking, his fists are pale

He wishes his future were more clear

That he never had to look through tears

That he’d control his temper, control his fears

That he’d never wonder if he even had a next year?

But this life is all he knows

His rage, his pain: it shows

Tough luck. That’s how it goes

For some people, it drizzles

For others, it snows

That Kale?

That epic fail?

Who’s goin’ to jail?

He never got his chance to live.

And that’s a shame, because

That kid’s got so much more to give.”