The Standard

For the wicked,

For the small,

For the unhappy,

For the poor,

For the ugly,

For the foe,

We are alive,

Breathing,

We could be so much more.

 

How many have wasted their lives?

Were to slow to notice that time flies?

Society has given us a standard.

Be born,

Grow obedient,

Go to school,

Always listen,

Don’t be loud,

Get straight A’s,

Turn eighteen,

Find your place

Go to a university,

Study hard,

Find your identity,

And now you are an adult.

Get a family,

Have a job,

Work the rest of my life until you die.

 

The beauty of having control of your life.

Now I am officially an adult, being forced to decide,

What I’m going to do, what I really want.

 

I’ve learned,

The world isn’t black and white.

There’s all these grays in between.

It’s full of tones, hues, and contrasts,

I’m not giving up.

I will live the standard with my own personal touch,

So when I grow old I can tell the young the adventures I had,

So I can die in peace.

Knowing I did it all.

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741