“Used Textbook” and “Arts Are Important, Too”
Used Textbook
me and my gpa are long distance
admire each other from a far
i beg for a break
but she presses me
why do i need other people
i’m the one who’s guaranteeing you a future
do abusive relationships exist between person and idea?
i was able to do this in high school
why not now?
comparing soccer to baseball
both are sports
but have two different rules
and not even the same players
she’s been patient though
given me time to figure out the rules
but they keep changing on me
people change people
some just fuck you up
she takes a tumble for my mistakes
gets jealous when i spend time with friends
lectures me for writing poetry to relieve pain that’s been sitting on my chest
but it’s the only thing keeping me sane right now
I have shackles on my feet
chaining me to this idea of intelligence and grades and perfect lover
someone cut them off
i don’t want to play this game anymore
put me on the bench coach
is there some police i can call?
the warning signs are there
baggy eyes
taking the blame
avoiding friends
isolation
small cry for help
but who is listening?
Arts Are Important, Too
I hate coloring
I can’t get shading
who can really tell the difference between dark brown and dark umber?
But I realized I love elementary school so much because they teach us how to color.
They focus on the arts.
Now, they focus on science
and math.
Things I do not understand.
But still have shoved down my throat.
even if I throw up.
They will tape my jaw shut and force me to swallow it.
Why are we letting the arts slip?
This thing where we learn to express ourselves.
In second grade,
If you couldn't color that picture properly, you got a C.
Now,
if you can’t memorize these facts and become human-computer.
You can’t even get into college.
My sister gets labeled as the “dumb sibling” because she needs help writing essays about books
and can’t quite understand psychology
or chemistry
or math.
Yet, she teaches me how to shade
and helps pick my color scheme.
Art has allowed me to express myself at my lowest times.
When I’m having a panic attack,
I don’t open my physical sciences textbook to do calculations
and make me feel like with every D on the test,
I am not just letting down my parents and myself,
but university for giving me a chance to prove I know something.
I open my sketchbook and just let my hand take over for me.
I don’t think
because that is like me figuring out coding.
I get lost in the “1’s” and “0’s” until my grades reflect that.
who the fuck can really tell the difference between dark brown and dark umber?
me.
Dark brown is the Grand Canyon when the sun is setting in the east,
the light source being in front.
Dark umber is the soil when your childhood self wants to see how far down your hand can reach.
Stop trying to push aside something that is so beautiful.
Creativity is such an important thing in this world.
It’s the difference between an 8 on the AP english essays
and a 6.
After all, I got you to understand how I’m feeling and exactly what I’m thinking in just two pages
Has any science or math person got you to understand physics in that time?
