The Sanctuary for Confusing Poems

I skate. I love to skate. I love the adrenalin that pumps through your veins as you land a trick. I love the feel of the wind in my hair as I cruise down a hill. I love the sense of community that skateboarding has, the feeling of belonging, of unity, and of rebellion. I love the fact that even if you don’t know anyone, you can always talk to a skater as if they are your friend. I love the encouragement that accompanies skateboarding, when you know that even if you aren’t the greatest skater, you will still be accepted; still be supported by fellow skaters.

Skateboarding if often the only rebellious thing kids know they can do. They feel different as people look at them riding down a long road. They feel a sense of power and of activeness. As if, the moment they hop on their board, the world is theirs to change, to edit, to modify according to their tastes. Skateboarding opens up a new world, a new culture, a new mini-society. Even in dictatorships, you can’t stop skating. No matter how many ‘no skateboarding’ signs there are, we will still skate. No matter how many times we are pushed away, or told to leave, we remain firm, and we skate.

The skateboarding community is strong. But skaters are hated. They are discriminated. They are under attack from the prejudices of society. Skaters aren’t bad people. We just want to make a difference in our own way, to enjoy life, to explore, and discover new things; wonderful things about the world. We are not all criminals, but in the face of adversity , we carry on. We are not Molotov-cocktail-wielding maniacs.

When I skate, I sometimes feel embarrassed. I feel like no one wants me in the world, especially when people swear at me, or are intimidated by me. That’s not the way it should be.

I know of no solution to get rid of this ’skater prejudice’. It is obviously not a huge issue in comparison to all the other things going on around the world. But ’skateboarder’ is not a pejorative term, or at least it shouldn’t be. I encourage you to think – the next time you see a skateboarder, challenge the immediate negative thoughts that come over you, because that skater may be a shining light in this shadowed world.

Skaters – proudly annoying pedestrians since the middle ages : )