An Ode to Public Education

They say we succeed

But we see no success

Just children still drowning

In their own stress

Forced conformity set for

Kids of all ages

Little do they understand

We all learn at different stages

We walk down the halls

Broken in soul and in mind

A helpful veneer

But nobody’s that kind

If you can’t keep up

It’s better left unsaid

You’ll get through it

If you don’t wind up dead

Some take a bullet

Others take a leap

You better be ready to pay

For the price of freedom is steep

Priorities are never straight

And the double standards are set

People will judge you

Before you’ve even met

A piece of paper

Determines our status

If those letters don’t change

Parents won’t even look at us

At the end of the day

It’s ironic that I find

That they still believe

No child’s left behind