Like Them

I look around me and see these lives,

Built with false promises and lies.

People go to college they can't afford,

To gain debt that overflows the board.

They spend their lives working a job,

Feeling all the while like they were robbed.

I don’t want to be like them.

I hear my friends say they just wanna die,

So much stress that they lay down and cry.

The hallways seem to reek with despair,

Kids being told they’re going nowhere.

I see the same faces all around,

People stuck living in the same old town.

I don’t want to be like them.

I see those who live on the street.

Holding signs that plead,

And beg for something to eat.

I hear those who say that they're nice.

Preaching they’ll help those in need,

If only they offer to pay the right price.

Celebrities make millions every year,

While parents try not to shed a tear.

Models sell their souls to be thinner,

But kids sell their dreams to get dinner.

I don’t want to be like them.

Why do I need to follow the rules?

To mold myself and look like those fools?

People condemn the sense of tranquility,

Ripping away everyone's dignity.

Why is it so hard to just be me?

To laugh and dream of what I want to be?

I refuse to change myself for their need,

To let them take away my originality.

I wish to be what no one can dream,

To wake up and do nothing but beam.

So I stand up and shout to the world outside, 

And create my own anthem for them to hear.

You can’t just use me and toss me aside,

So don't just write me off like I wasn't here.

I don’t want to be like them!