EDITOR’S NOTE: This article concerns adolescent sexual and mental health issues, and may not be suitable for small children.
I
t’s 10:30 am inside a brightly lit classroom. The students are done their work and decide to engage in a conversation about promiscuity. They celebrate the young ladies they have conquered, remembering each girl as of she were a fort sitting on an ocean, firing shots of triumph into the air with each word they use. They’ve learned these behaviors from their environments. It’s what they know.“Every time she said it that was another way to cope with the idea that Daddy may not exist in her life. Or she may not have a good relationship with him … It may be the only way she knows how to address her problems.”
Student: Man we ran a train on this one jawn. It was four of us. She kept calling me “Daddy” and s—.Me: Why you think she kept calling you “Daddy?”
Student: Because she must’ve liked it. When everybody else was gone she wanted me to come back in the room. Man I was out!!!
Me: You ever think about why she would allow four guys to do that to her?
Student: She wanted us to do it. She asked us to come over.
Me: But think about it. She called you “Daddy.” Maybe she’s trying to get closer to make energy. Maybe she’s using y’all to block out pain. To numb the pain. Ppl do use sex to self medicate. You know?? Just like cocaine, alcohol, cigarettes, weed. Maybe she’s not a nympho. She called you “Daddy” and asked you to come back in when everyone was leaving, right?
Student: Yeah (with a deep thought filled face).
Me: What if she was calling for her “Daddy,” a father figure that may be missing? What if they weren’t moans of pleasure but screams of pain?
Student: (face still deep in thought as he listens intensely)
Me: What if she called you “Daddy” because you look just like him or remind her of her “Daddy?” You ever think about that? And every time she said that it was another way to cope with the idea that Daddy may not exist in her life or she may not have a good relationship with him. She let four of y’all enter her body minutes apart. Beyond it being dangerous, it may be the only way she knows how to address her problems. Don’t be surprised if she sees you on the street and calls you “Daddy.”
Student: (still deeply listening) That’s deep. Yo. Deep.
(Featured Photo iStock photo)
Greg Corbin Jr. is a poet, activist, and community leader. In 2006, he founded the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement to provide space and mentoring to help Philadelphia youths discover the power of their voices through spoken word and literary expression. He pens “Real Talk,” a new feature on Solomonjones.com
