Poem: What Can I Teach You?
By: Lia Matthews
Tags: Poem, Teaching, Spoken Word, Teachers, Poetry

What can I teach you?

What can I teach you?

The young of today

The youth

The new life, the future?

What can I teach you?

I’ve lived longer than you,

More miles on the clock, more rings on the trunk

More levels, more tiers

More days, weeks, years

But what can I teach you?

You grew up in a word of technology

Where there are so many ways to communicate

You’re so young but you know how to type, to text, to swipe right, click next, scroll down

You can email or WhatsApp

Dropbox, YouTube or TikToks

What can I teach you?

Before you’re at school you can operate an iPad or iPhone

A table, who knows…

What else

What can I teach you?

You know nothing but high speeds

Of downloads and news feeds

Of followers and likes

Of hashtags, emojis and trending spikes

What can I teach you?

You see a world of perfection

Of airbrush and filters

Of image correction

You have a moment of wonder

And you want to share it with ‘them’

So you capture the image

And retake it again and again

Until the wonder moment is worthy

What can I teach you?

You have the power to watch anything

Hear any music,

any film with one click

unlimited screen time

you buy shoes online

order food anytime

free delivery is fine

What can I teach you?

You know how to make friends

How to connect two ends

Its simply a matter of liking,

Requesting, following

And if things don’t turn out right

You simply dislike

Unfollow and stop commenting

What can I teach you?

Someone with thousands of ‘mates’

With influencer ideals

And beautiful pictures of meals

What can I teach you?

I’d teach you about the feeling you get from a handwritten letter

It’s better

Than any notification

A vacation

Where you enjoy time too

The fine memories with friends

Who are with you.

I’d teach you about the importance of keeping your chin up

To look up

And soak up

The people, the moments, to be woke up.

I’d teach you about being kind.

It’s the most important thing

At the end of the day

At the end of a life

People don’t say

He had over 10,000 followers.

I’d teach you to look people in the eyes

To ask questions and realise

Older generations are wise

And listen.

That relationships take work

And courage and time

That it’s okay sometimes to not be fine.

I’d teach you

That how you look is just luck

And you shouldn’t give a fuck

Because the real you is authentic and worthy.

I’d teach you that how you want to be treated is correct,

And you should expect

Nothing but respect

But should reflect

It too.

I’s teach you to laugh at yourself

To make a mistake or two

To know

That in order to grow

Things should certainly go

Wrong.

And then you learn how to fix it.

I’d teach you to count the things

You’re truly grateful for

Because you’re not poor

Until they’re taken from you.

I’d teach you that what you type

Can not always look right

A few days later

And that what is ‘out there’

Is forever accessible, so take care

And be fair

I’d teach you to accept that things change

Because you will

Your way isn’t the way

And it’s okay

To be different from others

Let people just be.

What can I teach you?

Stop.

And lift your chin up.

LJM

October 2020