“Parents” by Lanice Chen
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Parents” by Lanice Chen, third place winner of the 2026 Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth, junior category.
Parents
By Lanice Chen
They barge into your room with a smile asking what you want
to eat, then slowly frown when they see how messy your room is.
They yell whenever you donโt do your homework,
thud things on the floor with a scrunched up face,
throw their anger at you like an American Football player.
They shove you out of their way when theyโre shopping for
useless things online. They get โannoyedโ when you bother them
while theyโre doing taxes. After talking to Dad on the phone,
Mom comes downstairs looking like a crunched up taco.
When I offer some help she says โYou will get hurt,โ
but complains โNo one helps me with anything!โ
Mom looks at you like sheโs about to send you to an orphanage,
but is actually upset because she couldnโt find the adult shampoo.
They stomp upstairs like a gorilla about to attack. They talk so loudly
that the whole neighbourhood can hear, just to say: โDid you know
Felicia ate the tiny burgers?โ Mom panics when she goes
to a friendโs birthday party without the gift she wanted to buy.
When you want a shark in the claw machine, she goes โNoooo!
Get the Hello Kitty instead! Itโs so much softer and cuter!!โ
When Hello Kitty isnโt anything like a shark.
They say โI kNoW tHaT,โ when they clearly donโt know.
They put you in time out for talking back, when it only makes you feel
worse about yourself. They laugh at you when you cry about
something โstupid.โ When you tell them a joke, they laugh, and say:
โSchool is about to begin, brush your teeth, now,โ very sternly, โHurry!
Weโre going to be late.โ When we get there, you ask if youโre late,
they say: โNo, weโre thirty minutes early.โ
They are always asking questions. They ask every hour
what you are doing in your room. They ask:
โWhy arenโt you sleeping?โ Even though you tell them there are
thoughts that keep you awake at night.
Copyright ยฉ Lanice Chen
Third place winner of the 2026 Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth, junior category.
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