You say,

“Tell me about yourself in 500 words or less.”

And I grit my teeth.

 

I start off by listing my academic achievements,

Honor roll and AP,

Clubs, organizations, my favorite subjects and strong points,

And gloss over every bit of myself that may make me seem too outlandish,

Least you be tempted to judge me from your desk.

 

Do you ever really know any of us?

Or do you live within your formulas?

Y = mx+b,

Why every mistake excuses treacherous behavior is beyond me

You condemn them to the back of the room because it must be their fault,

No, it cannot be your fault; you’ve been doing this for years.

Yet it still seems to me that you gave up hope long before they did.

 

I scratch out the line about how I feel when the rain hits my face.

 

I see you in the halls,

Turning a blank eye to those who need you the most.

I remember a promise that you made to always listen.

I guess we’ve turned into too much damn paperwork.

 

I cannot walk through the halls of this prison without wanted to spit on the perfectly polished floors,

How dare you expect a child who does know when they’ll get to eat next to do their best?

After someone comes back from a consoler’s office shaking and soft spoken,

Do not ask them to complete a damn worksheet.

Do not tell them that their problems won’t matter,

Because right now they are everything to us

 

I leave out the line about my first heartbreak and how it changed me completely.

 

I am not the only one who feels this way,

Wishing that life was more than test scores and papers,

Trying to keep myself from flipping the desks or tossing a lecture back in your face

Test anxiety, ADHD, ADD,

I want to subtract myself from the equation.

You say I have a problem with authority,

I just think your ideas sound a little too much like bullshit,

Your opinion tastes bitter in my mouth.

 

And yet, I still respect you,

Not everyone can be a teacher.

I haven’t any idea how you can face what you do day after day,

And still come in the next morning with a smile, as if nothing happened

I don’t want to challenge you.

I just want my chance

 

I want freedom from categorizing a free willed mind

I don’t want to be shoved into test groups

Another number that’ll only get noticed when I mess up

Empty threats of detention, and suspension,

Holding the victims accountable for their bully’s deeds.

Your system is corrupt.

 

I want to feel free to tell you that I think much more than I say,

That I cannot be broken by any rules of the class

My will and morality is not just a phase

And when I do speak up, you will be taken aback.

 

But I erase the words

Wanting nothing more than to be

Limitless