23
Twenty-three tally marks
carved into an arm
stared at with eyes like a question mark
I want to speak,
and tell why
but the truth is bleak
and they don't want to hear
it's because
the stress, it never ends,
GPA, ACT, failing grades,
too late to make amends
i will never succeed
doomed to fail
can only listen to warnings i did not heed
how the teachers don't notice
how they ignore
how we suffer under the system
how we stumble and struggle
how we crash,
headfirst into the hole
we are broken
under the expectations
and so
with a knife
against flesh
i relieved the stress
and covered the truth with lies
Guide that inspired this poem: