Write Something Human
High school English teachers
Demand of children
That they “write something human”
Write magnificence incarnate
Write “from the heart”
On an SAT essay – first try – no mistakes
Follow a formula not designed
To recognize traumas’ teachings of
Avoidance – distilled down into
Insincere attempts at giving
Washed up old windbags
[Calling Postmodernism
“Like watching episodes of Seinfeld”]
What they wanted because honesty
Yields bad grades and phone calls –
Her ink screamed I didn’t belong there
But it was the only place I felt safe
When I had no words for the horrors
Witnessed – every day – as a child
And I Was A Terrible Student
Thank you for taking the time to read this poem today! What did you think of it? Did this one evoke any specific response in you? What did it remind you of or make you think of? I’d love to hear in the comments!
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