What? I don’t try?
What are you trying to address?
I strive for the A every second of my life
Working for it, as if my life depended on it
My fingertips scorching, typing essay after essay
Forgetting to hydrate myself
Working 20 plus hours a day
And you say I don’t try?

What? I don’t make you proud?
What are you trying to say?
My hunger goes for many hours, sometimes even days without settling
My eyes go bloodshot red, staring at that monitor screen as night becomes day
My wrists only move while flipping through paper after paper
Trying my hardest just to form that smile on your face
I progress continuously, taking every honors class possible
And you say I don’t make you proud?

What? You say I’m not perfect?
Perfect means having no mistakes
I am not a machine
And neither are you
If you want me to be perfect
Then there is one thing left to escape my mouth
I am sorry. I cannot fulfill this
I cannot be perfect

I do try; you just need to open your eyes
I do make you proud; you just need to open your heart
But I am not perfect…
…And neither are you.