The Pressure of "Normal" (Scholarship Slam)

Fri, 08/02/2013 - 18:18 -- jbernad

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Normal,
You're normal,
You're just like all the rest
A number stamped across the page
A statistic on a test
The SAT's just like a tree
They said climb and do your best
But little did those people know
That she has fins and can only swim
She's different than the rest

Different? What's different?
You cannot even compare
Your numbers do not match the numbers that others offer here
And just because she's different and can paint but not excel in math,
She lost all her courage, her confidence, and the depression started coming back.

You're denied, the papers said.
You're a failure, her parents said.
And just like that, her depression took over
And the next day my friend was dead.

The pressure goes unnoticed by the ones who place it there,
The competition turns to rage
But my fellow friends, you mean much more than the GPA you made

This pressure takes a toll on us, we need help just to cope
Because society tells us, we are broken,
That us, "normal" kids have no hope
So I write to encourage the unspoken brave,
Since judgement comes to only those who say what many are afraid.
 

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