Exams.
Longing for the future when I can be free
Of AQA and Edexcel
And these grades I only wish I could be

Everyone takes it differently
Like a tablet some struggle to swallow
They panic,
Giving themselves even more of a headache than before
They've worked so hard that their peers are in awe
But their heads were hurting them
And yet nobody saw

And just like with a headache, they struggle to look at the light
They'd rather be in the dark whether it's day or night
Focusing on the negatives, nothing positive in sight
If society didn't finish them off, exams might

They search for a solution,
Think they'll find it through control
But their hearts are so tired and so are their souls
So instead of controlling their stress they only make it worse
With the unhealthy coping mechanisms they start to rehearse

'I'm too busy', 'I have no time', 'there's too much to do'
To socialise, sleep and even eat food
To you it might sound odd,
But under this stress these ideas are easy to pursue
Control the things you can, ignore the other few
After all, what have you got to lose?

After exams have finished, this still carries on
If anything this need for control has only just begun,
Originally the compulsive thoughts were just due to stress
But now the lies and routines have become kind of fun

You know at this point that you're kind of a mess
But you quite like it and to be honest you couldn't care less
You're addicted to the way it makes you feel
Somehow not looking after yourself makes you seem more real
It reminds you that your life is in your own hands
And how strong you can become by skipping your meals

For others, its different
They seem completely unaware
About the importance of grades for their future
Or maybe they just don't care

The reality hasn't hit them,
Maybe it will when it's too late
But at least they've saved themselves from getting in a state
They've been kind to themselves, not developed the same self-hate
As the people that have tried so hard to be great

Those people might have the grades
but they don't have their health
They've walked out of school feeling the worst they've ever felt

This just shows that some people can't cope
Exams make them feel like their isn't any hope
The government may as well have handed them the rope
To tie around their little 16 year old throats

Maybe I'm being dramatic,
Trying to find someone to blame
And I know that not everyone will feel the same
But I'm trying to tell you that the ones that do
Need help and support so that they can make it through

'They're just exams' you say, but it's the world to them
And sometimes exams cause lives to end
And I don't want to lose my friends
So let's remind these students that their minds will mend