Once Upon Their TIme

In my young adult literature class, we have been discussing the content of new YA fiction. These books contain issues of dark subjects such as drugs, rape, teen pregnancy, and suicide. These are real-life issues that teens today are facing, yet many YA books get banned or unpublished because of the content. Parents do not want their children to read YA books like these in fear that they will encourage them to partake in some of these things. However, YA fiction is not there to encourage illegal, or dark topics, instead it is there to help this new generation cope with the realities in their world. Here is a poem I wrote expressing my opinion on the matter:

Once Upon Their Time

When they were little we read them stories

About witches, dragons, and trolls.

Why should it be different now?

The witches have only turned to bullies,

The dragons to drugs,

And the trolls to temptations.

We showed them, then, how good conquers evil

Yet we ban these stories now?

This is the time that they need to see others --

Just like them

Overcome these dark creatures.

Creatures that cause teen pregnancy

And alcohol addictions.

Ones that rape and kill and destroy those in their path.

We need to let them see characters

That are lost and afraid of the future,

Characters that live in foster care and

Characters that take a knife to their wrist.

Aren’t these the stories that they need now?

These creatures and characters are real,

They hurt and suffer –

Just like them.

It is their time to live what we once taught them,

That good overcomes evil –

And it is, now, their time to overcome.