Sit down. Keep writing. Be silent. Raise your hand. Walk single-file. 

Is this a prison sentence, or my education?

Oftentimes I can't tell the two apart

And teachers wonder why we're failing

But instead of checking on us

They force more work down our throats

I'm not lazy, we say

I'm trying, we say

We speak the truth but it's not good enough

Every day, another failure

Every day, another expectation disappointed

I know you're disappointed 

I know I can try harder

I will try harder

I will push myself to the very limits

To make you proud

But then

I lose myself

I lost a piece of myself in my science book

I lost a piece of myself in my english essay

I lost a part of myself in my history project

I lost a part of myself in math equations

Until suddenly

I'm no longer who I was

Who am I?

A student, they say

That is what I am

I am only a student, and they are the teacher

I am inferior, they are superior 

I am the submitter, they are the authority

So I set an example 

I do what they ask

I stay silent 

I walk single-file

I keep my head down

I raise my hand

I ask to stand

And no matter what

I keep writing