Caren Krutsinger Poet Dramatic Monologue

Notes About The Poem

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in America.
In 2017 over 47,000 Americans committed suicide

There are no statistics I could find specifically on children/teenage suicide rate

but I am pretty sure it must be up, as children who are playing violent video games

now, where they are pointing guns at people, throw this out rather casually, as if they

are saying "I guess I will go to my room now." Horrifyingly real, people. Speak to

your grandchildren and children. Better yet, put those I-phones down, and show them you love them, and LISTEN to them.

 

Casually Say I Want To Kill Myself

I
Want
To
Commit
Suicide

Something we
never heard in the 60’s
When I was growing up

I 
Want
To
Kill
Myself

Something I rarely heard 
in the 70’s when I was 
starting a family

I
Want
To
Commit
Suicide

Something that popped up
in the 80’s and 90’s on TV
but still, quite rare to hear.


I
Want
To
Kill
Myself

For some strange
Reason, said in
JEST during the 2000’s.

The
joke is on us
Only it is not a joke

Children are 
saying it now
As easily as the grass is green
and the sky is blue today

It flows off their tongues 
as casually as
Let’s get pizza for dinner

Parents
Please talk to
Your children
Elementary school age
children are beginning
to throw out these words
whenever they want their own way

Or 
Things
Are 
Going 
Wrong

Once the brain hears it,
The brain believes it
That is why

I
Want
To
Kill
Myself
is
not casual
Not
at
All

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Panagiota Romios November 8, 2020 at 4:03 PM I have known plenty of them. Teachers, psychiatric ward nurses Caren, parents need to have the kids call suicide prevention hotline. Parents are not trained for this and may end up with a corse. CA had 5000 suicides last month. I expect it to explode as we live in lockdowns, masked, afraid of something that is 99.9 per cent curable. ..... this effects the entire planet. We are all nutty. ))) we all need each other. Great topic.... Pangie xx Caren Krutsinger November 8, 2020 at 6:15 PM Thank you my friend.

M. L. Kiser April 26, 2019 at 5:26 PM This takes me back to the 70's when two of my classmates, killed themselves; one, right before graduation. It wasn't iPhones or gaming then, it was in both cases, egotistical parents that wanted children to perform for their friends too often and to them children were a chore to avoid with their own chosen entertainments. Still, today's suicides fall victim to even more causes. A poignant pen that people should take seriously. Well done. Caren Krutsinger April 27, 2019 at 2:45 AM Thank you M.L. It is weird, that you said this as the only suicide I was aware of in the 1970's was a senior classmate who killed himself due to being a throw-away child from a selfish mother who wanted nothing to do with him from birth.