Gabriel Duncan is a 19-year-old author-poet and filmmaker from Alameda, CA.  He enjoys photography and graphic design, as well as Dorothy Parker and Edgar Allen Poe. Gabriel is an activist who can be seen frequently reading at benefit shows, often as an organizer. He is still unpublished, but you can find some of his work online.  His poems and stories can be found at AwesomeDude and at his own Lonely Ocean website. Be sure to check out his autobiographical “Bonds” at AwesomeDude and his media credits at Lonely Ocean. Gabe has contributed “Gay Prom ‘06” to our site, linked from our Stories page.

 

 

 

Hey Everyone,

 

I’m Gabriel Duncan. I’ve written “Angel” (AwesomeDude) and “Just Don’t Think I’m Not” (Lonely Ocean). When the guys from the Crew asked me to write something for the “Authors Speak” section . . . I didn’t know what to say. I mean, here I am, this 19 (soon to be 20) year old writer with questionable moral values and a fetish for dark topics. What “wisdom” could I possibly wish to impart here?

 

Well . . . I wanted it to be about sex, drugs and rock and roll. There aren’t enough of us young writers out there, so most of these letters are from older guys with a generational difference far too wide to take seriously. At least, I always rolled my eyes.

 

As far my credentials:  I speak from direct experience. I don’t need statistics to fall back on. So I’m going to tell you some stuff I wish I knew when I was younger.

 

  1. I’m sorry to tell you this, but your first relationship probably isn’t going to last for the rest of your life.  And, I know a week may seem like a long time to you, but you’re going to get old.  Scary, huh?  But once you start getting old, time starts moving faster, and things like months and years don’t seem that long anymore.
  2. Use condoms.  I’d strongly advise you not to take the chance.  All it takes is one time.  And the most common symptoms for STDs are no symptoms.  On top of that, get tested every six months.  Four, if you’re a freak like me.
  3. Here’s a tip: if you think condoms don’t give you enough sensation (like me), put a few drop of lube in the condom, or smear it on before you roll it down.  And if it still doesn’t work, masturbate a little less.
  4. Don’t take a drink from someone you don’t know.  DON’T TAKE A DRINK FROM SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW!!  This is something that could find you in a gutter with your underwear around your ankles and a fountain for a throat.  Serious.
  5. If you hook up with someone at a dance, or . . . you know . . . maybe at the bar you snuck into, tell someone where you’re going.
  6. If you use drugs, or your friends use drugs, or you’re thinking about using drugs . . . get educated about them before you do them.  I cannot stress this enough.  Know where your drugs come from and how much is too much—to pay or to take.  I know, it feels good now, but later on down the line, when you’ve lost half of your brain and the ability to be happy because E popped holes in your frontal lobe, and burnt-out all your joy receptors, you’ll wish you knew what moderation was.  And when you can’t eat, or control your bladder, and your life is consumed by scoring that next sack of meth, you’ll wish you’d never done the hard stuff.  Stick with pot and alcohol.  Or, even better, don’t do anything.
  7. Never, EVER, give in to pressure.  If it’s from your peers or that guy you followed home.  NEVER do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or hurts you.  NO MATTER WHAT.
  8. Get tested for STDs.  Not just blood and urine; get a visual inspection.  And don’t wait for the symptoms to go away for you go to the doctor.  Most bacterial infections (like syphilis and gonorrhea) can be treated with antibiotics, so don’t freak out too much about those.  Crabs are easy to treat.  But something like HPV (genital warts), will stay with your forever, and is only really found through visual inspection.
  9. Fire is hot, it will burn you.  Cars are fast, they will kill you.  And, no, you can’t fly.  Laugh now, but when you’re tripping balls, this may save your life.  BTW, don’t walk around town on hardcore drugs.  Stay inside, it’s safer!
  10. Don’t use hardcore drugs.  Stay away from having unprotected sex with tons of people at once.  This is self-destructive behavior.  Stop cutting and start talking.  If you tell someone what’s bothering you, no matter how difficult it may be to get out, I promise you’ll feel better.
  11. Breathe.

 

But I know you’ve already forgotten half of this.  And that’s cool.  I know you’re going to do what you do anyway.  I did it.  And so did everyone else.  So go on, have fun.  But be careful, and think about the future.  What this is, right now, is only a distraction.  True happiness lies within you.  Know yourself.  Don’t get lost in the flock.  Make your own decisions.

 

Hope this cleared some things up for you.

 

Sincerely,

Gabriel Duncan

 

June 2006

 

 

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