You were the gold standard

I wished I could be

Maybe then I would've stayed out of trouble

And a little less me

maybe then when my name was called

It would not have been to be berated

Maybe then I would've done things

That were not ill-fated

How I longed to be you

How I myself despised

How I wished I had your personality

How I wished I had your life

Maybe then my parents' yelling would've been mitigated

Maybe then me and the paddle would've never been acquainted

Maybe then my parents would've been less frustrated

Maybe then K-5-12 would've been a walk in the park unabated

Maybe this shame

Would've found another name

Maybe years of feeling scorned

Would've been instead feeling adorned