student
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Note (not part of the poem) - The person who I am writing about is someone who used to teach at my school. She left in December 2019, and we haven’t heard anything from her since.
Tough love?
Maybe love is too tough.
Or is it too much ?
I feel like your against me
More than for me.
Your best punishment
Is my worst punishment.
12 percent of me is in the moment,
15 is withdrawn,
Because 30 is wasted on stress,
And 43 wants to right all the wrongs.
Our world seems to be fading,
Split apart at the seams
Growing up education was of great importance
I always had to have the best academic performance
The most inspiring people I know
Always with me where I go
My mom and dad
didn't have the opportunities I had
If I had to choose if I’d rather have the world end in fire or ice, I would choose ice.
At least for now.
If I had to choose if I’d rather have the world end in fire or ice, I would choose ice.
At least for now.
The raised back of retracted scribbles
On any worn out page,
reminds me of my old scars-
Embarrasing and unerased.
I’m so independent,
I could attend my own funeral
and bury myself in the dirt.
“Here lies Isabella,
she died as she lived-
too afraid to ask to be carried.
Her folded legs left her unmarried,
I hear twisted words
Like leaves on a vine.
Words jumbled through punctured ears,
Words people dine
upon.
Vicious, rapid, jumbled they sing.
They catch a flying bird
And twist its wing
smiling is hard
i'm empty inside
falling apart
cry out for help
it couldn't heal my heart
too quiet outside
no one sees the pain
she's just exaggerating
idle
I sit on my front porch in the lemon-lightAnd watch the cyclist, with neat-skimming hair and a self-propelled wind,Zip by in a saturated streak. The world is different, though nothing has changed.
the mingled stench of green seaweed and salty waves
cascades the nostrils of the adolescent girl.
I guess I'm a adult now
I've taken out a student loan
I've also made a savings account
I guess I'm a adult now
I'm saving up my money
And I've been quite frugal
I guess I'm a adult now
Waking up soaked from tears
Cold from fear
Aching from pain
Yet, I am happy
Happy that the yelling has stopped
Happy that I can be the person I am
Happy that I can finally grow
Dear adults,
This is a call to action,
Every kid is looking for their passion,
It is time that we take action
But we are splitting kids up into factions
Making the world composed of common core
I wasn't the smartest in class
I wasn't the best on the team
I sometimes came last
At least that's how it seemed
I aimed to make you proud
I hoped to see you smile
Oh my heavy heart
Racing heart
Defeated heart.
Knees weak
Eyes bleak
And oh how desperately I seek,
She grew up in a home
where every grade mattered,
where “A” stood for average,
and anything below 100%
was not good enough.
She grew up in a school
Jumped, elated, I impressed the other kids
You directed that need to impress into logical competitions- imprinted the impression that elevated expression was a channel for my intention
Laughed, animated, I used humor to harm
At the early hour
Hearts are still
Echos are devoured
The air is chill
This campus is not hers
She's not the right kind
But she just wants
To get to class on time
Eyes glazed over like there's a dead girl
inside a barely functioning body.
It makes people uncomfortable,
but most never question why,
like bad stuff doesn't happen in this neighborhood.
Poetry to me is not some
Centipede
-Not just a little
Inconsequential-
But rather a place
Where I can face
You see
It wasnt always this way
when the time passed it brought colors
for sometime its only gifted grey
its a mindset they say
trapped in my own behavior
the devil next door
We are competitors
Everyday at the mark of 7:10 AM,
the bell chimes for our competition to begin
We compete for the front seats to take better notes
We compete for the back seats to sleep discreetly
365 days ago the roof over my head was secure, paid for with my own money.
365 days ago I had 1 tiny window in a basement and I felt great pride because
365 days before that I was on the verge of homelessness.
Dear Government, Thank you for protecting usIn times of need,But really, can you describe yourself as marvelous?If that’s your only good deed?Power,You possess itYou grasp it With every fiber of your existenceYou abuse it Twist it and turn it arou
Dear High School,
I wish that trying hard was enough to please you.
I wish that the hours I spend stressed were enough to "succeed".
Do you know that I have spent hours crying over you?
This is stupidYou are dumbMe saying these thingsMakes you feel numbI act out Because you don't hear meSo pay attentionOr I'll go crazyYou don't want meI didn't ask to be hereTreat me like I'm specialSo I don't make you fearMissing me when I'm gone
Once upon a time, there was a girl.
The girl, born from fervent wishes,
knew not of any life different
than her own. Left with only riches
and good health, she still wanted more.
I want, I desire, I need
These tears streaming down my face? They're for the hours I've spent pouring over books not soaking in information because my sleep depraved mind has lost its ability to absorb anything but the haunting melody of voices crying out give me rest.A
In late nights, through
bleary eyes and trembling hands
I find freedom.
The looming grade lost
its gravity long ago, along with
junior year.
Without letters or one-hundreds,
Finding Myself Across The World.
Easy.
Apply for study aroad program.
Get accepted.
Apply for loans.
Rejected.
Cry in front of financial aid.
Accepted.
Arrive in Alnwick.
Expected.
Appreciated by many, cherished by some, loved by a few,
I go on in life to learn something new,
And I know that if it weren't for you,
I'd be lost without a clue.
Boredom slowly creeps upon me,
Like a fog on top a hill.
My eyes start glazing over,
My brain is standing still.
I’m trying to take notice,
Education
Boredom slowly creeps upon me,
Like a fog on top a hill.
My eyes start glazing over,
A guest here –
this isn’t my school
these aren’t my students
and “I would let you work in groups but your teacher said not to.”
Buzzing with your rainbow dreams
All those diamond cities scream
Is everything just what it seems?
Golden people planning schemes
School,
what grade do you have?
Mom, I'm tired,
"Go to sleep sweetie,"
But I'm not tired.
Why do I stay up so late?
It's all worth it in the end,
or is it even worth it at all.
As each day goes by there is not a hour I am not thinking about you
I can't even type this poem without tears forming in my eyes
Why did you have to do me the like that?
I’m everywhere and nowhere all at once.
No shape of my own, no self
I fill every inch of void around me
While being nothing at all.
Confused sitting in the darkness,
sitting waiting for enlightment,
lurking on people waiting for them to offer,
but it's always the same story,
still searching, trying to be stronger,
applied for thousands,
You see me on Friday nights
Under all those shiny, bright lights
Yelling for the win.
You'd think I'm the prettiest
That everyone loves to be around me
I walk into the library, but I do not read.I make lists and lists for someone else to read.They may read it on time, or they may read it late.Am I a student or a teacher? I walk into the classroom, ready to learn.But sometimes I don't.I carry pape
What moves you?
having gravity on the globe from which we walk upon
having opportunity to move around and make the world going around
What moves you?
If you ask Google “what are the most essential resources to sustain human life?”
Google will tell you that food, water, oxygen and a moderate temperature are the
basic necessities for human survival.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" A question frequently asked by many. Growing up I've had everything a young child could ask for. I had a stable home, a mom, a dad, and endless amounts of toys.
So many stresses,
Day after day after day!
It makes my head hurt!
The pain in my head
Can feel like a volcano
Filling me with dread!
The focus of school has turned on us
Administators no longer showing student trust.
As a student I call for a change
Of a society open to not-perfect grades.
Students work hard, day and night
Imperfection. That means flawed.
Doing all that you can day in and day out,
living the struggle.
They see you trying, they don't see you crying when you are staying up late after work.
Metamorphosis;
The process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form
In two or more stages.
Metamorphosis; maturity.
Caterpillars that eat their knowledge out of Milkweeds
My name is not important,I am not my name.
I am a lover and a listener,But also a strong fighter.
Though my name identifies me,It doesn't tell my story.
I am more than what you see.
I am the slightest summer breeze.
I hold the key to a brand new world,
I am but a little girl.
A girl that some have ignored,
A girl that some have adored,
But,
Starting out with four years of high school,
using your mind as your ultimate tool.
Completing your assignments and finding time for friends,
the list of memories never ends.
Truth be told, I only saw what is real
Because my heart is an open sore that I do not expect to heal.
You see, a beaten and battered heart knows how pain feels
So it lacks all remorse when it comes time to kill.
Free
From everything I used to be
Re-writing my history
Picture by picture I’m finding me
I’m alright
My hair plain brown, my face aged with time
Who am I? That's a loaded question.
We are all dense individuals, filled like an overflowing dam with ideas, experiences and contexts.
So some of my friends recently asked me, want to go swimming today?
And I gave them a foul, foul look, and stated without delay
No.
I clearly don’t want to swim in the pool so you can go play
Gems and Dimonds
and most of the lot
are smeared and bruised
by life's dirty plots
so thus we gems
so thus we diamonds
work from dust
to bring new light
we are not perfect
My skin is the skin that God put me in on the day that was the day of the 17th in the month of November the year being the one-thousand nine-hundred nintey-seventh year Anno Domini....
I sit here afraid, hoping the phone calls go away.
"You owe us $750", pay right away they'll say.
Emails, alerts, calls, and texts
What's next?
My rent is due, and I have no more financial aid, or money
I hide behind a silver cross that hangs from my neck,
My grandmother’s,
Because here atheism is a shameful word.
But it’s true, I don’t believe in God.
I don’t believe things are “meant to be,”
Girls.
Overpriced makeup. It
Differentiates those who want to be from those who... Are?
they look at her with big bright eyes
little do they know she rages inside
they look at her like she's an angel sent from above
little do they know she's far from being jesus white dove
I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror,
To see who I am and wonder if I need to change.
The media shows us that we are inferior,
That without being slim and muscular we are strange.
Yeah, I see you
girl at the back of the class
hoping if she keeps quiet
no one will ask her to speak
hoping that if she wills her lips sewn shut
no one will see her
Yeah, I see you
My testimony, my story
Is not full of fame or glory.
I'm just a student trying to make it through the day
Just a young adult whose only option is to pray:
Pray for my family that is too far
Yes, Of Course, Please, and Thank You,
The United States Department of E-D-U,
Yes, Of Course, Please, and Thank You,
In their grand benevolence is delighted to do,
Yes, Of Course, Please, and Thank You,
She leans her head in her hands
Eyes closed, brow furrowed
She pulls her fingers back to her temples
To massage the stress away.
She slouches over her desk
Silhouette illuminated weakly
Money
There's so much of it in the world
but why don't I have any of it?
Why does my family struggle so much
when others have money coming out of their ears?
I'm stuck trying to figure out
Stupid stupid, they all said
as I read, as I speak
as I try, as I cry
as I see, they can all do it but me.
They're your age, they all said
as I sigh, as I try
as I look, at that book
Bound up in leather, like the books
And held by paper chains
A heart no longer functioning
Inside, no soul remains
They put a hat upon her head, pulled low
To hide the brand
I just can't find the right one.
What am I doing wrong?
They say go with the money.
I say I want to go where ever my heart desires.
But I have had a personal struggle with having too little.
Past the thresh hold
You would never believe the terrors in the walls of the institution
The terrors of exclusion, and confusion in a potion
My priorities in a gyre I lost all of my devotion
When I was in high school everyone was skipping class
Not me cuz my mom would kill me if I didn't pass
But it was wreckless
There where kids playing hookie and teachers not taking attendance
From birth we are tested
Spanked on the butt to see if we cry
In Elementary school we learn for standardized tests
"You're learning this because it's on the test"
Just because I am not a perfect student
Doesn’t mean I'm not trying
Just because I said your being a hag
Doesn’t mean I meant it
I love learning, but I'm tired of school.
Tired of teachers who just don't get you & make you drool.
I'm sick of them thinking they own my life..
They don't realize that once I walk out that classroom, each day, ..
I am a student
I am a child
I am one looking to go to college
I am a student
I am a child
I am one that has dreams
I am a student
I am a child
I am one that will become a doctor
From the day you were born,
you've been feeling vile scorn,
for the future they say is so bright.
The school that you stay in,
The church that you pray in,
Just trying to snuff out the light.
Sean realized at a young age
Other boys were not quite the same
He wasn’t on the same page
No one was to blame
He was so estranged
He felt naught but shame
I turn on the news
Rape, murder, missing
Those words have become boring to me
A black boy has been shot
The white man who killed him goes home free
Bullshit
What has this world come to?
A generation pressured by society
A society driven by expectations and decisions
Decisions that restrain us like animals to a cage
A cage that strips what little freedom we were given
Pride gets in the way
Envy lies in hearts
Gluttony overflows our nation
While lust tears relations apart
Anger boils within our veins
Greed prevents us from our potential
It started with a sharp point and a pink ball on the other side. My thoughts wonder wonderously as the minute hand laps the hour hand. As my heart synced with the clicking of the clock's minutes so did my hand to my heart and mind.
Hey, teach,
I wanted you to know something
I wanted to tell you all about the kind of shit I’ve been through over the years
How I’ve seen the inside of the psychiatric ward and made friends with the other kids there
Student:
Thump, tap, scratch, groan,
Clock sounding ticking tock ticking.
Sigh, glance, slouch, count,
Steps and monotonous lectures.
I did not come here to watch chalk dust collect on that blackboard.
I did not come here to watch you watch us watch a video about something you can't explain.
I did not come here to memorize the quadratic formula.
Everyday Linda would come to school on timeAnd everyday she would bring her first teacher an appleFresh picked from her family's orchardAnd everyday without fail the teacher would graciously accept
I've started out the day todaySitting in my math class.But all that I can seem to noticeIs a flaw in my necklace.
How can I learn to trust that you'll be there If I need you when I'm hurt or betrayed or scared, When most of your species only turns a blind eye To what goes on in this place, like it's sanctified.
You don’t know my name
Been in here a whole fucking year
Fifteen kids plus me
I know I don’t talk
But do you notice I listen?
No texting under the desk
Shouldn’t be personal
Why must a teacher nag,
Like married women tired of men,
Like irratating dogs barking,
Like a tired worker,
I am just sitting in a chair looking at that boring board, tired, just tired of those naggy teachers!!
Anger assassinates anyone acting atrocious.
It’s ominous.
When anger calls for you.
It takes control.
You won’t be able to escape.
You know what?
I've had it. Its time you hear the truth.
And if you really don't care to hear it,
Then fuck off, because this one goes out to you.
See I've got other things to do,
I'm tired of math. Too many know-it-all teachers can't communicate
I don't learn like that, could you elaborate?
"You see, the radius is C over Pi because Pi is the answer, but what is Pi?
Education issomething all of us agree is important.Yet all over the world and in places we dare not gomany are ignorant without it.The lower class, African Americans, and women
Worksheets and notes due tomorrow
Final review due today
Surprise pop quiz next period
And lectures every day
Teaching is all the same
Write this and do that
You can't take a stand in your room
I won't care to stand to hear you
Your suppose to be a leader,
a role model
a teacher.
Not an insecure, naive, believer.
Hey, raised my hand.
Yet again not seen.
Here!
Taking attendance but not yet remeberd.
Student in the front row
Teacher treats her like a queen.
Not asking for much.
Its really quite simple.
. While you look at me through those black square glasse's Im glancing at the clock wishing I could skip your classes. You room is so boring so drab and so brown, There's nothing I can do other than frown.
As I walk around afraid of the unseen
I cherish the light once seen in a dream
Hoping to find the dreams deferred
The scenery around us is full of perfume and desperation.
Individuals enter the school halls with hidden feelings and failing fears.
Make shift masks are our uniforms.
As a teenager, we are taught to be an adult. But what is really an adult? They teach us about the Government, but nothing on how to do things after highschool.
The role of an educator
grants power and authority,
Yet some treat students with
degrading inferiority
Your role is hard and I respect
your position
Because a role as a teacher is
The rush from one class to the next...knowing nobody in the halls, just trying to get by. I always wonder, "Is this what high school is really like?" Does everyone have the same empty look in their eyes.....I wander to my class and wait for i
That damn bell, oh how I dread.
These mornings never change.
I think I’m seeing red.
I groan at the sight of the metal detectors and the line that waits.
The security guards with tired eyes, laying down the law.
I grew up in a
jungle of work and tests
Sitting at my desk Day in, day out
Listening to lecture upon kecture
This is NOT how learning should be!
I only learn what i need for the next test,
Who is the bully?that walks the hallsall big and badcan you really tellthat his world is upside downthat his parents have disappeared
Oh, teachers, how you are skilled in boring
The normal, average, local students
Who keep on searching, always exploring
For a teacher with the greatest prudence
Students today are looking for a purpose
Sometimes I've got better things to do than solve quadratic equations
Or throw my chemistry book against the wall in a fit of frustration.
I don't want to drag myself out of bed just to watch a movie.
Feet on ground
Head in the sky
Making plans for the future
When I am barely getting by
Just happy to be smiling
So lucky to be alive
Whether money grows on trees
Or I am begging on my knees
You teach of tolerance,
But you know not what you say.
One false word
From lips wishing to express
What it means to be free
Sends missiles raining
Upon the heart
That only wished for
I walk in and I can feel the heat
as I sit it intensifies
By five minutesn'i can feel that familiar pain
that pain that ravages and scraps my brain
Everything I see is jumbled
I feel insignifacant
I got my report car yesterday
and like any teen my age,
I went on my twitter page,
saw a bit of rage,
expressions of a bitter day,
but as I go to type my tweet, I don't know what to say.
I understand that I am part of a system.
A winding, long, twisting system,
Filled with loop holes of all kinds.
I am summarized by 2 little numbers,
And a combination of 5 letters,
Desperate. Longing to be SEEN.
Heard
I sing a song and weep.
You stare down with icy eyes; strangling my rebirth with your silence.
Reach out! Reach out... Oh teacher I have so much to give!
To say!
education its part of a nation its where you make your best creations where you learn your best aggrivations
I see you lookin at me
I know you think i can't achieve
But what you can't do is bellieve
You need to start lookin deep
I may fall asleep
But I am trying and applying
Teach us something,
Teach us something that you
Deem as wisdom, not knowledge
We thirst for more than you can give,
.........To sleep or not to sleep,
That is the question.
Whether tis wiser to stay up to my brain's satisfaction,
Fully acquiring its potential at success,
Ensuring a greater chance at documenting my capabilities,
Oh dear teacher, I promise I'm paying attention, but it's really hard when the others are a distraction.
Jim's in the corner whispering to his crush, while jane is busy texting and giggling through your lesson.
Calculus
Homework is
Like some sort of poetry
It expands somewhat in the middle
Then is gradually, thouroughly
Simplified until it is quite
Manageable once
Again
I’m like a vine of ivy
I need a tree to climb
I will grow so long and lithe
I’ll make that flora mine
The moment I reach the sky
feel O2 in my green
The bell rings,
And so does my head.
This time of year,
I’d rather be dead.
Filed into classrooms,
Like hundreds of worker ants.
With only consideration
For what we have in our pants.
Blind words lead no where,
blind thoughts get no where,
blind concernes never see the light,
and blind is your fear that we will not survive.
We may not pay attention,
we might not be too bright,
Alarm blaring overhead,
grabbing sneakers,
running out the door
to catch a bus streaking by on the pitch black shore.
Dodging a sea of yelping students as you race to the school door,
I used to be eager to learn,
Now I'm forced to yearn
For the knowledge I crave,
And the history I want to save.
We are told what we ought to know,
But are we ever asked what we want? No.
*Guitar Strums*Hola, mi Profesor tu enseñas es muy maloI come in every morning with a smile, and a buenos dias,But you rush in with your papeles and your maletín onto the floor,No mas! No more...
These walls plastered with motivational speeches and properly worded English
Are virtually meaningless, because the teacher in front speaking
Cares more about that check than checking the voice of the speechless
For once I'd like to
Untie that mysterious box alone,
Cutting the cord,
Kissing teachers goodbye
So that I may
Conceive a thought on my own, but I'm
Helpless to defy the system
The Mockery
Students file out of buses in the morning,
Into a web of quota.
Curricula goals created not by the educators,
But by the State.
The System
With admin lurking,
I sit in your stupid class every day,
and I feel my life wasting away.
It's not that I don't like you- I really do-
It's just that I don't understand you.
You try to teach, but you're no good,
I look in the corner I see a girl crying, dying, and lying about being bullied
She hit rock bottom but she’s still trying to succeed
I am not just a number in your grade book.
My grades do not reflect me.
I am not a score on a test.
My scores are not my reflection.
I am not wasted potential.
My potential is still sprouting.
My breath sighs and wakes the dust sleeping still and silent on the
rough leather covering pages of my brain.
EYES SWOLLEN and overflowing with stars,
I begin to gnaw my pencil.
Hello teacher Do you know what you want to teach us today? Or do you want to seat on your big, luxurious, comfy, and plush chair while playing cards on your school paid for laptop?
Thoughts run rapid inside my head
filled with words that I never said
So here's my chance to finally show
what I believe our system should know
The best example of course is me
School life has become a social endeavour:
walking through the halls more focused on friends than studying and in the end,
fretting about getting through, and around people to our next class.
Wrong or right.
Good or bad.
You teach me there is no other way.
There are no shades of gray.
We are the smart ones or we are not.
We are the gifted ones or we are not.
Many students trying to follow the crowd
Hoping to be accepted
Others trying to live life out loud
Fearing of being neglected
Many students living in poverty
Leading some to drug use
If I had one thing to say to my teachers it would be that class is boring. To keep my attention I need hands on. To keep me engaged I need the information to be put in real life situations.
Mind your manners
Sit up straight
No slouching
Better stay awake
My head hurts
And my eyes burn
Read the reports
It's my turn
Eyes all on me
Glossophobia's the word
Teacher, teacher
I need help on this question
I’m trying my best
But I need a suggestion
But teacher, teacher
Instead of rote memorization
Instead of formulas and dates
They ask us to wake up earlier than healthy,they ask us to stay up doing projects, and then ask why we fall asleep in class!They complain if you come to school sick,but don't you dare miss a day, there's no way to win!They talk down to us everyday
You taught me how to conjugate verbs in five languages
You showed me how to find the zeroes in a quadratic equation
Oh, I know what you're thinking
I got it all figured out
I got those straight A's rolling out
I am not angry
I have no qualms
with the way you teach.
Besides,
Nobody takes the time to
step into your
polished,
fitted
Balmorals.
You actually do care about
the lives
Adolescence is only
but a piece in my puzzle
Its reminiscence
cascade in parts that portray
the whole image
Appearing in glossy
bent forms,
But my experiences
are only components of my
Mr. Evans, what kind of class are you running?The kids are all sluffing, hardly any are coming.
The desks have language that sailors use.Everything you say just makes me pale and confused.
So we're supposed to argue civily.
And when we cannot manage that,
Give up?
But what if we're in a debate,
Face to Face with our oponent.
Give up?
I am tired of these peers of mine saying they "don't want to be here",
the mob mentality is too strong to fight,
I just wish some of them would take the time to try enjoy the school year,
Words used OVER and OVER again. ALLWAYS talking about this thing and that thing. THAT THING. The things we need to see are BLIND. The things we need to hear are DEAF. The people who need to hear and see are never there.
"Pay attention!"
The voice shouts from
Across the room.
With a start, he
Pushes his head up
And props himself up
On his elbows.
His sleeves slip down
And he yanks them back
My mouth is a door
You really dont want to open this door
I have many things to say
And they are not for anyone's ears, but you
Okay, I'am late. So what!
I'am tardy, forgive me for my sin
Teachers,we know what you do,sneaken about,
Tellen us what it,s all about,
When those who can't, teach, and each of us reach,
For that gold star so far,
You make us or break us, that is your quest,
Dear Mr. Johnson,
I hope you remember
that this day marks a special death in September
Of my best friend Tyler
My best friend ever
who took his own life in a sad endeavour
I remember the funeral
Here we go again.
I didn't do my homework.
Oh well.
What time is it?
Only five after.
Last night was fun.
What am I going to do tomorrow night?
I'm tired.
What time is it?
Never Have I Ever Told My Teacher To Shut It.
It would have been nice to place them on mute.
Matter of fact, the school system could give them the boot.
When you talk. I think just stop. Please don't say anymore. There's really no need. You act like I'm a child and I'm not. I'm a senior now so treat me like it. Please next time you have something to say. Talk in a normal voice.
Scholarships, tuition and loans clones the current holder of the thrones on going
problem debt i want to be able to learn about serenity for the things we cant change
teach us how to accept we lost hope when we took out religion
Every year is something new
but yet nothing has changed.
I was suppose to learn it last year
but last year they told me I would learn it this year.
You expect us to pass the test
Your knoweldge of the world is high
But is that a reason to undermind me?
Just because I dont understand the material
doesnt mean I cant see
I know you have a Bachelor Degree
Maybe even a Masters
7:30
“It’s only one hour I’m asking for.”
One Hour.
8:30
“One hour just for this class, and that’s it.”
One hour.
9:30
“It’s a reasonable request”
One hour.
10:30
I woke up 30 minutes past eight,
And School starts at nine.
I know that I will be late,
So I give up trying to be on time.
I walk into the class ten minutes after the bell
I open my mouth
Your eyes snap shut
Your hands clamp over your ears
I must stop
Wait until you calm
But when you demand an answer
This is always your reply
You share no knowledge
These veins will no longer drip rust.
I will scream
loud
and high-pitched
And I will be recognized.
I will force them to hear me
and I hope my anger will
disgust them
and my eyes
you stare down at me with those
pretentious eyes
best, you want better
I can feel my self-esteem
d
r
o
p
p
i
n
g
like ink from a quill
Scratching pencils border along the lines
Driving me to prepare for the world
We prepare for futures times
That have yet to meet our eyes
Can the screaming chalk against the board
One, two, three, four
Red, yellow, blue, and more
Five, six, seven, eight
Raise your hand and sit up straight
These things we learn in elementary
They stay with us more than a century
See when I was younger my momma said when you turn 18,
You either go to college or get a job or you won't be staying,
In my house.
So every since the 9th grade I've been grinding,
Leaving this place
Still not knowing the value of X
An unspoken race
Formed by society
No piety
Creativity
When you saw me upset, you immediately knew
When I had a question, you had the answer
When I needed help, you gave the advice
When I needed to laugh, you were the smile
When I needed to talk, you were the ear
Going
Cyclic
Spinning
Weaving
Dying
Spewing
Churning
Turning
Weeping
Leaving
Sleeping
Crying
Weeping
Crazy.
Quiet settles on my lips and on my heart,
Not even a sound the dropping pin brings,
Push down and kicked down;
Not even an echo off these strings.
Walk right in and take a seat.
Can you smell the tears of defeat?
The seat is warm, and toasty just like your dinner with Aunt Rosie.
He speaks to you, and your body gets tense.
Slow walkers, fast talkers
Book seekers, key keepers
Walking in pairs, retro chairs
Carved rock, a slow ticking clock
Striped bags with nametags
A fire escape, some blue tape
A quiet class, a wall of glass
