They tell us
to be creative
then go and cut us
into little paper dolls
carbon copies
of one another

They tell us
to be ourselves
then do nothing
when we are
battered, bruised
and ridiculed

They tell us
to follow our dreams
then scream “wrong”
and poke holes
in the galaxies
we painted ourselves

They tell us
these are the
best years of our lives

then slowly burn us
and we cannot escape
unscathed

They praise us
for being overachievers
and wonder why
we are stressed, anxious, depressed
and our world ends when
we get a 75

They expect us
to be involved
in sports, the arts, extracurriculars
and then suffocate us
with homework
and pretend its okay

They promise us
everyone is equal
then bend over backwards
for the precious athletes
and scoff when
we ask for new music stands

They teach us
the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell
drill us to memorize information made to be forgotten
what are taxes?
where can I get a loan?
what have we really been taught?