As children, we are endowed by our creators

With the unalienable right to dream

We can do whatever we want

If we put our minds to it

We can’t wait to grow up

To seize every opportunity that we can

Because, after all

They tell us that we’re unstoppable

Now, unless we’re in the top three of our class

We have no right to dream

If we don’t have a four-point-oh GPA

And SAT scores in the seven hundreds at least

We may as well kiss our bright futures goodbye

If we don’t play sports

Or take college level classes

We may as well forget it

There is no hope for us

And even if somehow

We manage to fit all of these criteria

God forbid our teachers don’t like us

Or can’t write good recommendation letters

Or we’re too poor to pay for college

But not poor enough to receive need-based scholarships

And then there are the people around us

The girl who takes four AP classes

And still has time to call her boyfriend every night

The boy who gets a perfect score on his SAT

And hits the gym every day

And makes it look easy

How do they do it?

How are they so successful

While we’re working ourselves to death

Just to land in the middle of the pack once again?

And we don’t have time to think

But sometimes we can’t help but wonder

Why we’re killing ourselves

For a future that’s not even ours to take