As a teenager we are taught

that sleepless nights

with our fingers thumbing 

through a textbook

are normal.

When all we wish for

is to be reading our books,

the ones who's words

seep into our bones

as we eat ever last morsel

of emotion they contain.

We are taught that 

early mornings will no longer be an American pastime,

because instead,

they will become our future.

We are taught to never stop.

Life is too busy to slow down

and catch a cup of sleep

or a glimpse of nature.

So instead we'll throw back

one more cup of coffee

as we become dependent

on the fast life.