“Dear Stepfather”
It might not seem like it now,
but I do appreciate you. You listen—
dismayed— as I throw my stuff
around my room in anger.
I remind you angrily
“You’re Not My Father,”
but don’t let that discourage you.
These limits you are setting now
will help me grow into the young adult
I need to be to survive in the world.
When you tell me that this
is for my own good, I resist
because I’m still trying to fit
the skin I’ve been saddled with.
It isn’t you I’m fighting— it’s me.
You just happen to be caught
in the cross fire. I’m sorry
that I’ll probably never apologize
for this, but my anger is my way
of showing I know you care.
Now— Leave Me Alone!
~ Azriel Johnson
