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My generation was raised
on Hard Rock and Motown.

The younger generations
cannot make up for the lack
of a good education.

-R.

Test
**** them
How dare you tell me
I'm smart because I got an A
Im smart because I learned the material
I'm smart because I raised my hand
I'm SMART because I know **** that other kids don't know
What do I know
Not taxes
Not mathematics
Not English
Not grammar
Punctuation isn't a thing when you
Have to figure out LIFE
But is it life
Isn't a thing if you don't have
A diploma
So what am I doing
Nothing
I'm not smart
I'm conforming
To a life
That only answers
To a,b or c

CURRICULUM

Blood seeps
It curtains their eyes
Rendering them
Temporarily blind
Semi-scalped
Skin folded back
Exposing of skull
Ready to crack

Holes drilled
An access to the mind
Pumped with liquid knowledge
Which then solidifies
Conventional learning
Soft subjects barred entry
Too fluid to be controlled
Deep fear of creativity

Kicked into touch
With confined education
Sent into life
Into great expectations
3R certificates
Irrelevant to some
Force fed on dictates
From the seed to the crumb

For some who think outside the box
Of the language of academia
Why have knowledge forced upon
When it’s free on Wikipedia?
Stifling ideas
Kettling free thinking
Those and more values
Lined up for the shrinking

You will think in the ways
That we want you to think
You’ll sink into rules
And you’ll fall into sync
You will follow the norm
You’ll adhere to the rules
Of stagnated teachings
In stagnated schools

Copyright Marc Hawkins 2017

Johnny’s at his trailer home
Mixing up medicines
Trying to get through his life
Studying on the pavement
Saving enough just to get through high school then again

Look what you did
Kid you jumped into someone’s bed
Had a babe
But couldn’t get ahead
Follow your leaders
Get off the eternal parking meter

Get wet get set
Johnny come let’s bet
Watch the shuffle
He’s using a cold deck
They’ve kept you in check
You’re obviously still not gonna lose the bet

Look at what you’ve done away with kid
You’ve run away with a 100 bid
Shocked looks on their faces
Finally gaining some confidence in yourself
You use that confidence
And build up
To do away with the hard labor
Of giving free ******* on the subway stations

50%, 60%, 70%
You’re ******* ******
Go ahead
Get dressed
Today you’re gonna go to bed
With your wife and your kid

Look ahead kid
The world’s at your feet
You study so there’s nothing you can’t eat
But only thing that’s missing
In your lonely life
Is an intent to give you a blessing and no retreat

Look out kid
See what you did
On your life you’ve had to keep a lid
Taking concern from God and government
And scumbags and still avoiding property dealers

Fck you for encouraging me to take out more than I needed
Fck you for not explaining the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized
Fck you for judging my eligibility based on my parent’s income and not my own
Fck you for pretending to look out for my best interest
Fck you for making me decide on whether to pay you, or go to the hospital
Fck you for harassing me via phone and email
Fck you for transferring my loans to a different company
Fck you for asking for money back BEFORE I graduated
Fck you for asking for money AFTER I graduated with NO job
Fck you for asking for MORE money after I got a job
Fck you for transferring my loans to a different company (again)
Fck you for suggesting a 30year repayment plan
Fck you for the high interest rates that negate the payments I was able to make
Fck you for adjusting my repayment plan without my consent
Fck you for suggesting a lower monthly payment as I crept toward full repayment
Fck your shoes with the belts on them (Boondocks)
And Fck Donald Trump
This is America sucka. The land of the free, and home of the brave
Not the sea of debt and house of enslavement
So, Fck you from the bottom of my heart, and if you call me again I’m gonna slap the sh*t out of you
Goodbye forever