Shawn L. Bird

Hovered over the computer

you groan about how you’ve been screwed up

by school schedules that don’t let you take

the courses you need to graduate.

Something from grade nine,

another from grade ten,

a couple from grade eleven,

how can you fit it in twelve?

School’s fault.

Not your fault, of course.

Never your fault

for not coming to class,

for not doing your work,

for not taking advantage of offers to help

for not being respectful of your peers

for not accepting support,

for not passing the courses.

One or two (or three or four)

missed credits each year.

It’s the school’s fault.

Of course, it is.

Everything is hard for you.

Why?

Why?

Why?

You strike the question,

a damning indictment.

I will tell you,

though you won’t hear:

This is why:

Because you don’t see that

you choose.

You choose

to work.

You choose

to fail.

You choose.

Until you choose

to be responsible

for every choice,

to admit you failed because you chose

not to work,

not to accept help,

not to accept the consequences of

your choices,

life will always

seem unfair.

It’s not life that’s unfair.

It’s you who is refusing

to own your reality.

Accept responsibility for yourself.

What are you afraid of?

Be!