Problems

How can you not see

The lines under my eyes?

Haven’t we earned our grades?

We’ve played along with this silly game

Graphite scratching out curves

To make letters and numbers

I’ve gotten so good at pretending

But you don’t know

About the phone call I got

While doing your assignment

Maybe if you did

You would understand why I can’t pay attention

And you don’t know

How late I was up after I hung up

And you don’t know

That this is my life now

And I can’t escape it

Because the work is suffocating me

And he is hurting me

And the world is falling apart in each of my little tears

Teach me something  useful

How can I solve your problems

If I can’t solve my own?