Arms out
Wrists up
See the scars
Burns and cuts
Examine the marks
The world can see
From losing my fight
With the enemy
You joke around
Point at the burns
Laughing only
Makes things worse
Everything temporary
Nothing Permanent
Our hearts set free
Just to get hurt
My soul cries out
I cannot live
Trapped inside
This fragile skin
If it breaks
It be my time
For I am not afraid to die

The truth about school
By: Dono James

In spite of my learning I feel like a fool
For it took me so long to learn the truth about school
You don’t know how it goes? You don’t know the rules?
Then let me tell you my version of the truth about school
From my days in pre-k to my completion of college
I was told by society I was obtaining knowledge
But from what I have been through and what I can see
My convictions tell me that I must disagree
I admit in my youth not interacting with people
Which was all the more reason I saw school as evil
But as I matured and became more social
It was more of a process and less of a chokehold
Then my years in high school were somewhat a coma
Where I didn’t really learn but filled up a quota
But with flying colors my diploma was earned
And I looked forward to college to actually learn
To start my life over I was truly excited
After my first year I felt somewhat enlightened
But in spite of my joy I needed a pause
For I came to notice there were still a few flaws
Not really a flaw, but a legitimate scam
A plot to take money away of my hand
Conceiving to deceive us whenever they choose
Charging hundreds of dollars for books that aren’t used
Even worse than that is the ugliest case
The time spent on a degree in the first place
In spite of our major to earn our degree
We’re forced to take classes we really don’t need
And their justification, at which I’m dumbfounded
They say that they want us to be well rounded
But in spite of its faults I kept my head in the air
Because college here is still better than high school there
The flaw in that logic showed not after long
When it showed for the most part I truly was wrong
Being in school for almost as long as alive
I’ve been doing the same thing since I was about five
Waking up in the morning and wasting the day
Listening to jibberish someone has to say
This procedure is twisted and far from anointed
If that’s the best way to learn then I’m disappointed
But I was told school would increase how much I get paid
So I’m not here to learn I’m just here for a grade
And once my time finishes, what do I see?
A fancy piece of paper they call a degree
Yet in spite of the struggle of putting many years in it
I would not so much as wipe my rear with it
The bane of my existence and the source of my strife
I could do without school for the rest of my life
Having stood it so long I hope not to stand more
I hate all that school is and all it stands for
Being barely a step above pure embezzlement
It’s the greatest façade of human development
So if I go past a bachelor’s let the world be a witness
My reason for going was strictly ‘bout business
As in my observation the truth has unfurled
Real learning occurs with time in the real world
And with that being said I can soundly assert this
Education is priceless but academia is worthless
In fact the thing that disgusts me the most in particular
Is that I might have learned more through my extracurriculars
But this sick institution had me worried and stressed
Oppressed by the papers and distracted by the tests
To compare school to work is truly a fallacy
For in all ways it puts us out of touch with reality
Where the number 4 is that which everyone dreams
And five letters mean so much to our self esteem
For others in the struggle the burden may be small
But for my own preference I am sick of it all
My soul is disgruntled and my mind is distorted
Involved in a cause that I never supported
But having graduated I can finally move on
And get a job in the real world where I truly belong
my wounds will soon heal and everything will be cool
for at least now you know the truth about school

The strumming of lonely guitars
Transmitting the frequency of stars
Emotion coming off in waves
Flowing from the nexus of graves
Music blasting
Hope everlasting
Clouds marching across the sky
I watch them as they drift by
Sweet chords
Bitter words
Such feeling
Defenses peeling
My voice pierces the air
If people hear, I don't care
I close my eyes to the world
In my head the music is unfurled
All flowing in my head
It transmutes my thoughts from lead
And into gold
Its clear, and its bold
Its the obvious solution
It was just clouded by thought pollution
I leave, i know it in my heart
I've memorized my part
No clue what you're going to say
But at the end of the day
That's what makes it entertaining
I meet you, there is no explaining
The words fly out of my mouth
My eyes venture south
Toward your feet
Dead silence, about to admit defeat
She says yes
No more stress
Pure elation
Feelings that have no translation
I look you in the eyes and smile
Then, i hold you for a good long while

And as I sit the wind blows
Gently through my hair
When I come to the realization
That we're the perfect pair.

"A match made in Heaven"
Would be too cliché to say
So would "Everlasting love"
So I'll try another way-

Your smiles are bright and golden
At the sound of my voice
I have to say my dear
There really was no choice.

You had me from the beginning
If that's not too cliché to say
But today is something different
A new chapter on the page.

Our lives have intertwined
Into something that can't be undone
And as I say those three little words
I feel they weigh a ton.

Carry them with you
Wherever you may go
And with this you will remember
That you will never be alone.

Yes, these feelings may seem cheesy
And they may seem a little cliché
But I know of no other person
That I'd rather be with today.

I sit in the corner of my room.
Holding my knees; Rocking back and forth.
I feel alone.
I am alone.

I hold the razor in my hand.
Remembering my promise to never do it.
To never see my blood.

But my life crashes around me.
No one understands me.
No one wants to understand me.

I don't want to go on living a lie.
I want to be happy and free.
I will never be free if I start.
I won't be able to stop
I've got to take control over my life
Be strong.

I close my eyes and the monsters surround me
They come at me,Their claws grab at my throat
I'm terrified but have nowhere to run to
No one to run to
No reason to go on

I want to stay here forever
Rotting away with the spiders
The dust covering my brittle lashes

Here, there is no one to judge me
Or tell me to change
I can hurt no one
Not dragging anyone's life down with me in it

I cry out, fearful of what I have become
I want to go back
But the past is too far gone
I sit here alone
Thinking
Making decisions
Until I run out of time