At Least I'm Trying

What would I need to survive?

I already am surviving,

Or at least I’m trying.

I’m trying to survive in the world

A world that’s slowly being destroyed by those who inhabit it 

A world that’s filled with violence towards each other

A world filled with the fear of the unknown and what tomorrow could bring

I’m trying to survive in today’s society

A society where it’s hard to be women because I’m considered inferior

A society where it’s dangerous to be an African-American because I’m automatically seen as threat

A society where it’s hard to be a young African American female because I was stigmatized before I was even born

I’m trying to survive the school system

Where I can sit in a class for hours to memorize what I learn in a subject to then regurgitate it for a test

Where it’s okay to have students miss classes to take standardized tests that mean absolutely nothing

Where the mental health of a student is treated as less important than their grades

Because according to the schools now we’re all nothing more than a test score

So when I’m asked what I would need to survive

I can already say that I am

Because in order to survive everything that I feel is trying to bring me down and destroy me

I just have to be myself

And I always am

Which means that I’m always surviving

Or at least I’m trying.