GPA of four point oh
Highest honours and all accel classes
A girl with hand me down, off-brand clothes
But in school, at least she passes
Helps with collecting food for the homeless
In her freetime she's an environmental activist
Attends church every week and babysits
With lips only once been kissed
In the mail today came a letter
Postmarked: Washington DC
As this Cinderella slices the seal
Excitment crushed as she eyes a $1400 fee
The government is interested in her for her "talent"
With "leadership potential and qualities"
She was invited to an exclusive political conference
Money's too much, but she's too proud for your pity
She just has to accept that she's poor
Even though she's diligent and stays away from snuff
No matter what she does to break out
It's halfway there, but that's never enough
But OH! let's change the perspective
And support the genius that said
"life's not fair" and shun he who says
"money doesn't matter" (wish him dead)
Of course it does
Look at one with 'proper funds'
See them with a different shirt for everyday of the year
Their wallets aren't filled with ones
And trips to China, just for the heck of it
People aren't starving in the streets!
Need $1000 dollars for shoes? No problem
Mommy and Daddy are just so sweet
Living the high life
Golf, drugs, booze
What's more fun than partying?
Normal lives must be a snooze!
How often have those brats had to
clean the bathroom, do dishes?
Homework - nope, Straight D's are satisfactory
And little poor me with 'won't come true' wishes.
Author notes
Don't be offended if your rish and actually a hardworking person. I'm just saying that kids who've been rich their whole lives aren't the ones who knows that a dollars worth. Look at Oprah and people that starte4d out poor, they know that they don't need mulitbillions just for themselves. Sorry if you're actually a hardworking rich kid. Nice to meet you, because I've never met one before.
Ever feel like this?
Comments
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money doesnt always make one complete. well written i enjoyed reading this poem. i look forward to reading more
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i think you make a good point. money matters a lot more than it should and if you come from a poor family or economically depressed area you are at a severe disadvantage despite efforts to give you a boost. this struck me more than ever this year, when so many people were greatly constricted in their college decision by financial stuff. the financial aid and scholarships offered were pathetically measly and not close to enough. and this is at a private college-prep school. when your family hasn't gone to college or you're crammed into a apartment in a neighborhood of drug dealers... the cards are stacked to the ceiling against you. it's an issue i've struggled with increasingly as i've grown older and more painfully aware of socio-economic differences.
i have seen both sides of it... i live in a city known most for its homicide rate, but there's also a huge discrepancy between the rich and the poor. at my school though, there was no way to tell who was what (at least for someone as culturally ignorant as me). one friend of mine came from a very wealthy family, but while her parents could have spoiled her rotten, instead they were very careful to force her to be responsible and self-reliant and know the value of the dollar, to earn her own money and pay for what she wanted. while certainly she enjoyed comforts and privileges at home and opportunities because of her background, which she would be the first to admit and it's something she struggles with as you can imagine, but she's not the person you portay in this.
anyway, about the poem itself. effective use of details, and i think you unroll the girl's experience very well, the frustrations and barriers her poverty places upon her, and also her strength and resilience and passion for life.
"Helps with collecting food for the homeless
In her freetime she's an environmental activist
Attends church every week and babysits
With lips only once been kissed"
"She was invited to an exclusive political conference
Money's too much, but she's too proud for your pity"
the second half, where you paint the contrast, wasn't as powerful for me. like the first, strong details,
"See them with a different shirt for everyday of the year...//
And trips to China, just for the heck of it"
but i think the more general, vague "them" and the much heavier handed presence of the commentator dripping with irony distances and limits it. i'm sure there are people like the ones you describe, but i think there's often a less clear-cut contrast.
the "living the high life" and "Homework - nope, Straight D's are satisfactory" didn't resonate with me from my limited experience. there can be an often a performance pressure and high expectations and perfectionism, and a lot of other junk in life that money doesn't shield against and sometimes intensifies. my friends has so much buried hurt, which i've only had hints and peeks into. and there can be that same resilience and vitality in someone from a affluent family as anyone else. it's easy to villify the rich, but i've met awesome people from all kinds of backgrounds. unfortunately, as you have pointed out very well in this, money does matter more than it should. but it doesn't make all the difference.
i also found the transition between the too a bit awkward.
but really, you point this out and expressed this quite well, in the first half especially. provokes a lot of thought on this topic (apparently, i was not expecting to write this much, i didn't know i had so many conflicted thoughts on this)which is a great thing!
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