My Gang

Join my gang and you will see,
We’ll have such fun, I guarantee.
See that nerd, the one who’s shy?
I bet that we can make him cry.

He deserves it.
I don’t care.
The kid’s a jerk.
He’s not all there.

Over there is Marylou.
I tell you what we’re gonna do.
Start a rumor, let it spread.
I bet her face will turn beet red.

She’s upset?
That’s just too bad.
The girl’s a wimp,
So don’t get sad.

And now let’s have some fun with Kit.
I’ll whisper “Kit”, then laugh at it.
She, who thinks she’s one of us,
She’ll look all hurt and make a fuss.

My, oh my!
The girl is nuts.
She peed her pants
And puked her guts!

Me, mean?

I am stronger than the rest.
Smarter, braver. I’m the best.
I don’t owe them. They owe me.
They had it coming, don’t you see?

Join my gang,
And you will be,
Protected, safe.
‘Cause you’re with me.

by Andrea Wilson

Topics for discussion:

• The bully is exerting pressure to have the reader join his/her clique. What advantages are there in joining a clique?
• Disadvantages? Would you join? What would happen if you decline?
• It is often hard to resist peer pressure. How do you judge when to “go along” with the gang and when not to?
• How do bullies feel about themselves? What arguments does the bully in the poem use to justify his behavior?

Classroom Activities:

• Read the poem like a chant, adding a background drumbeat.
• Pretend you are the bully’s psychologist and that you have discovered what circumstances contributed to making the bully behave so unkindly. Write down your “professional” opinion. How can you help him/her?
• In small groups, practice answering the bully. Come to a consensus on the best response.