Fiercely*  I n d e p e n d e n t
I am as stubborn as the Aries Ram
     which just so happens to be my zodiac sign.
I don't care what others might think of me
     but at the same time I live to please.
I've found that I can really only rely on my family
     but my friends care far too much
          far too fleetingly.
I am blunt and will call you out on your *******
     as nicely as possible.
I can't handle tears even when they're my own
     and they always sound like
                                  short
                                                   dying
                                                                ­    gasps
         but that's what they are, right?

It's your lungs and eyes dying because your heart was too dumb to listen to your own brain.
My brain was only trying to look out for me.
I'm not sorry that I've failed it way too many times.

My mind constantly revolves around myself
     because I'm way too proud and vain
          of my way too small accomplishments.
I want to be known as Great
     and I am not ashamed to admit it.
No matter what I do
          be it the purest good or the wickedest bad
               it will be great and jaw dropping.
I am extremely conceited.
     And shallow
          And a hypocrite
               And a liar
And will always keep score
     (By the way as of 2012, I had 37 points and you 34. I'm still winning.)
But I own up to it and will always try to be better.
I am also determined
     And hardworking
          And persistent
Which means that I will get farther than most people.

In 2001 the No Child Left Behind Act was implemented in primary and secondary schools in the USA to ensure exactly what its name says.
But there are always children left behind.
     There are always people left behind
          And I will not be one of them.
And no matter how conceited and full of myself I am
     I will always find your name written in between the lines of my poetry
          whispered with every breath that I take
               crumpled on sheets of paper that I've long since thrown away
                   because every line that I wrote was never good enough for you.

The summer before my senior year
    I tried to isolate myself from my friends and family as much as possible.
Not because I was depressed
     but because I knew that I had to learn how to be happy all by myself.
I love them all to death
     but I know how much it hurts
          when you lose yourself in another person
               so much that you can't find a way out
                    or even a way to heal once you've escaped.

I'm hard to love enough as it is
     so I did it to train myself for the times in life
          when I know that I will be alone.
But I was taught that there's a difference between being alone
     and being lonely
          *so which one are you?