Advanced Search

Get Our
Print Magazine

48 pages of creative bliss. Written by teens for teens since 1989.
Subscribe!
Current Issue   Get a Free Sample
Past Issues
See us on Facebook,
MySpace & Twitter
   
Home > All Opinion > No, You Cannot
Report abuse Submit my work Share/bookmark Email Print Tag as favorite

No, You Cannot This piece has been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.

Next article »
« Prev article
Rate this article:
By Kayla B., Cypress, CA
Photo credit: Michelle B., Blairsville, GA
Author's comments about this article:
This piece was written after Prop 8 was passed in California, a national tragedy at the state level.
It is a new nation,
a nation that proudly proclaims:
“Yes we can.”
But what power holds “yes we can,”
when America has told many of our
brothers and sisters
“no, you cannot”?
You cannot follow your heart.
You cannot move forward.
You cannot take a hand.
You cannot break the mold.
“Marriage is a holy bond
for a man and a woman
it is not yours to taint,” they say.
Where is the future?
Relentlessly we must
keep striving for a better day.
We must stop this hatred
and bring about change in the
wake of defeat.
This piece has been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.This piece has also been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.

Join the Discussion


This article has 28 comments. Post your own!

Report abuse
pyropoet said...
Oct. 25 at 7:59 pm:

omg! this is an amazing poem! u r a truly gifted writer :)

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Actresspoet123 said...
Oct. 25 at 6:54 pm:

very prudent i love it

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Brittany=) said...
Oct. 25 at 1:32 pm:

Wow, say it loud. This is great. :) Keep It Up.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Inkspired said...
Oct. 25 at 12:53 pm:

Love this! It's so meaningful, and really really powerful. Well written!

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
tennisislovee34 said...
Oct. 25 at 10:57 am:

I really like this! You raise a good pointtttttt, keep it up! :)

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
MangoMadness said...
Oct. 25 at 12:37 am:

Only one word I can say: Dudeable. (DOOD-a-bull)

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
floaton said...
Oct. 25 at 12:10 am:

simply wonderful.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Lindsay R. said...
Jun. 20 at 4:11 am:

I completely agree. America is supposed the land of the free and the home of the brave, yet many gay people are rejected the basic right of marraige. Religious people do not call it discrimination or hate, but that is exactly what it is.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Sarah J. said...
May 27 at 11:33 pm:

This is an awesome piece of work! Keep voicing your opinion, because people actually do want to hear it. Way to go!

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
LakaiOrDie said...
May 8 at 8:25 pm:

@ poster under me
by supporting prop 8, you don't want gay marriage, you contradict yourself...

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
LilMissEnsign said...
May 5 at 2:07 pm:

I was (and still is!) a supporter of Prop 8, though it was (and still is!) across the country. I don't understand, what's so bad about gay marriage? Why can't it be legal, we're all different anyway, that's what they teach us in school.

Your poem is awesome, I love it

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
kumiko-chan said...
Apr. 26 at 8:44 pm:

excellent, and yes, prop 8 really does suck.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
SaraB. said...
Apr. 19 at 1:33 am:

Amazing. I sort of share your views on this one, and I think it's beautiful that you can articulate what you feel here. Keep writing!

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Theresa S. said...
Apr. 17 at 11:31 pm:

Really LOVE the poem it's awesome....And Prop 8 really sucks I was hopeing they woudn't get it passed.......Hopefully one day very soon people will be more open minded and not be so stupid.......Again really awesome poem.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
kissingdawn331 said...
Apr. 16 at 7:06 pm:

wow really nice way to get your views around and discrimination cool ;)

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Descant said...
Mar. 22 at 9:27 am:

Very true. I wish I'd been old enough to vote down that abomination against human rights. People shouldn't be able to deny happiness to others just because the idea of it makes then uncomfortable or some book that recommends stoning witches is also against it (and last time I checked, we were supposed to be against running nations under holy law). It just makes me sick that this kind of bigotry that has been written into our legislature.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
BradP27 said...
Mar. 12 at 11:59 pm:

Amen. DOWN WITH PROP 8!

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Snowbelly311 said...
Feb. 23 at 4:20 pm:

That is Really Good

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
xXsmileXx said...
Feb. 18 at 10:43 pm:

Wow, i just wrote an essay for school about the same topic! I completely agree with what you wrote. Great poem, keep writing!

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
hopeisthemessage said...
Feb. 18 at 9:15 pm:

I agree. We took a huge step electing an African American president, but with the passing of Proposition 8 in California, it was a huge step back. Spread the Love!!!<3 This was an excellent poem by the way, I really enjoyed it.(:

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
the truth said...
Jan. 21 at 9:12 pm:

We might not have the ability to do everything we want in this coterie but we are much better off than other coterie.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
amatuer said...
Jan. 13 at 2:18 am:

This is differant. and very, very true.
Discrimination is a scourge

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
spaznkool101 said...
Jan. 8 at 5:51 pm:

i completly agree with this. they always say america is a free contry, but discrimination is keeping it froming being that way.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Sahar_SaiD said...
Jan. 6 at 7:06 pm:

Well I agree and disagree. Everything has a yes and a no. I depends on whos asking and as far as that goes things need a balance...While one person can do one thing...There is just the same amount of people who cant and vice versa. So you can be one sided in this day and time "yes we can" some times and "no we cant others"
We cant fly but its not impossible. Birds can...
We CAN sing...some of us others can sing but dont sound nice. Some of us can and cant do the... (more »)

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
lunafunmonkey said...
Jan. 3 at 7:11 pm:

This is very well written, but I disagree with it. There will always be things that are just not right, and that we cannot do.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
Imagine said...
Jan. 2 at 12:12 am:

If there is one concept I have happily grasped while perusing the opinion column, it is that this generation is so much more open-minded. From gay marriage to religion, we're more eager than any preceding generation to show our differences. So, thank you for writing this. Thank you for showing that our generation not only has an opinion, but we're gonna say it proud. Thank you.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
myturntobebrave said...
Dec. 30, 2008 at 5:23 am:

Excellent poem, and yes, Prop. 8 is a tragedy.

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment
 
Report abuse
annexgreyz said...
Nov. 11, 2008 at 10:12 am:

wow, this is a really good poem and it really stands out from many that i've read. :]

 
Reply to this comment Post a new comment