Growing up in this world
I never once thought that I
Was strong. I never thought
About the power that I had
Deep within my soul. They
Tried to destroy who I am
With assignments and thoughts
About who I should be. About
A future I never wanted.
They pushed me down and
Tried to make me feel small,
They tried to make my spirit
Disappear. And it’s not just me.
From birth we are all taught the
Same thing. Money, money,
Money. Work, work, work. No
Time for thoughts, no time
For love. No time for being
A kid. They bombarded us
With technology and books
And said “there are your
Tools” and left. When you’re
A kid, you don’t know what
To do, or how to do it.
And if you think you do,
They say that you’re wrong.
Their idea of success
Isn’t something that we
Want. When we open up
The news, what do
We see? Wars, blood
Running through the streets
And other kids starved to
Death. So we distract ourselves
By changing the channel
To MTV or unlock our
Phone screens. We indulge
Ourselves into another
Persons life so that we
Don’t have to face the
Harsh reality of our
Own. We don’t have
Time for the world to
Soak into our skin
Anyway. We don’t time
To listen to what we do
Are considered sins.
I’ve never met a kid who
Hasn’t thought of death,
Or an alternative to this. We
All have an escape,
Whether it’s a pill, a drink,
Or a noose. Is this too hard for
You to hear? Well it’s time to face it,
Because we have for
Far too long. We
Have all be boxed
Into this one thought.
Money = Success =
Something = happiness.
That something has been lost.
It’s an incomplete formula that
No one has tried to fix. Or
That’s what they want us to think.
We are not an equation
To be solved. We are people
Who live and breathe emotions,
Thoughts, and passions. By
Giving us all of that, they forgot to
Mention one crucial point. Us. They
Forgot to tell us that
We are the most important
Component. That we are all capable.
But did they forget? Or did they replace
It? They did, by telling we’re too
Small. That this generation is good
For nothing. Well now we’re
Over coming. We’re building ourselves
To become bigger. We pass all the
Tests and we find happiness
In between the lines. Now a message
To all the kids out there. Don’t
Ever let anyone tell you that
You’re too small. Build
Yourself a future where the SATs
Don’t determine your right to
An education. You are so much
More than what appears on your
TV screen and so much more
Than whatever edition text
Book you’ll be forced to read.
You are a human being, filled
With thoughts, emotions, and
Love. Don’t let the labels get to you.
If someone tries to throw you
Down, then rise. Rise up to
The high heavens and scream down
That you were built for greatness. That
You were built to be something more.
Something great. And now a message
To everyone. Just like the younger
Generations, you too were built
For greatness. If you think you’re too
Late then you’re mistaken, because
It takes time for some flowers
To bloom in the spring. You shall
Rise above because you are
Capable. You can and you will, and
If you go down, then you go down
Swinging. Become the greatness
You were born to be and tell
The world that you’ve won.