At The Risk of Feeling Dumb A Poem - Z.E. McEvoy

At The Risk of Feeling Dumb

Z.E. McEvoy

Grade 10 English Spoken Word Final 2026

Twenty One Pilots has always been my favourite band

They have songs with good messages but fun beats on top 

And they create a form of art that people can genuinely connect with:

At the risk of feeling dumb is simply a song I love 

But is that really all to it 

At the risk of feeling dumb 

Check in

It's not worth the risk of losing a friend

Some people might look over these lines 

As they are simply enjoying themselves in music with a fun beat over it 

Music is music and lyrics mean nothing

But to the person who wrote it, 

They mean everything 

This song is not about having fun all the time

This song is about a genuine issue 

Just because someone looks okay does not mean they are

And just because someone says they don’t want help does not mean they don’t need it

Check in.

That’s the whole message 

To you, a song could be talking about anyone

But this one's not

It's about real people who struggle with real things 

Weather you have a good upbringing or not

Once you reach your teenage years

You struggle 

In one way or another 

Coming of age involves dealing with things you haven’t before

And for some teens

It becomes too much

And then there's this choice 

Stay or don’t 

I know it seems simple to us to stay 

But to other humans 

It’s not 

That does not make them worth less

Or bad 

It makes them human 

Just like everyone around them 

So check in. 

That's the whole  point 

You never know what someone might be facing behind the smile they put on until you ask 

Until you genuinely ask

So do it

Take the bold step 

Be awkward

reach out

And 

Check in. 

Just like you’d hope someone would for you if you were standing in their shoes 

Wouldn't you want someone to be there for you to tell you you are human even though you are facing these struggles 

To tell you you matter and that staying is better than going 

With all that being said,

At the risk of feeling dumb

Just check in

Note: My daughter wrote this for a school assignment in June of 2026, it was a second piece as she was not fully satisfied with the first, Hurry Up!. It is posted here with permission. 

Other posts by Z.E. McEvoy:

I Want ... 

Staplers

At The Risk of Feeling Dumb 

Hurry Up!

...