Equal to Evil

Before you start reading, I'd like to say that this poem is based on a true story (exaggeratedly).  Can you guess what it's about?  Anyway, I hope you enjoy/can possibly relate! :)  - Holly

Equal to Evil

by Holly Nguyen

Today, one thing gets us good salaries,

Yet it’s far from a good laugh

Its teachings require firm mastery -

A difficult, excruciating task.

Complex lessons taught in the morning,

Two -second distractions seal awful fates.

It’s hard to resist, and unbelievably boring.

But the board is already covered at such a fast rate.

Headaches plague me through the day,

But Orchestra heals my tepid soul. 

In class, I shouldn’t have dreamt away.

Or I wouldn’t encounter an eventual toll…

Printed packets of practice problems,

Penetrate my packed planner in pen.

At home, I’ll have to solve them,

And face this same cycle again.

Video tutorials prevail the teacher,

And comprehension pulls me forward.

That’s when I become eager

For what awaits me next in this order.

Days pass, and the class is silent with fear,

Mechanical pencil tip digs into my skin.

The quizzes are distributed, faces queer,

But I become certain I will win.

Under half an hour’s record,

I achieve it with confidence

And with such devoted effort

That this unit won’t make me wince.

Next lesson shortly arrives,

To me it’s somewhat tough,

But later there’s a surprise -

My quiz grade came rough.

As I juggle the old while grasping the new,

Other teachers bring heaps of more work.

Procrastination comes and accomplishes a few,

And I accuse it for being a huge jerk.

2 AM yet still awake

I review everything in dim light,

Stupid question twenty-eight

Got me stumped throughout the night.

Then the sun comes to rise with radiance,

Opposing my unsightly, sleep-deprived image. 

The alarm clock rings, and I need to sleep in

But anxiety and today’s test keep me on edge.

Shoes dragging across the school floor,

Exhaustion poisons my system.

My mind and joints become sore

Knowing this test will judge my existence.

Last-minute studying conquers the room;

Everybody seems completely ready.

But for me, it’s sleep, but time zooms

To the point where my knowledge is unsteady.

What the heck is this…?

I groggily pondered,

And I try to reminisce

Something like it, for my honor.

90 minutes for 100 points,

The clock stalls to help,

Yet the test has me annoyed,

From lack of memory, you could tell.

Finally, I finish,

No time to double-check,

Though I definitely wasn’t quickest,

That test alone was heck.

Scores release a week later,

Mine’s too brutal to even say.

But the only thing that’ll make me greater

Is future preparation for the next day.

This villain’s name is a four letter word,

With sole intentions to hurt and deceive.

Although it’s more like a four letter curse,

I think we all can admit that it’s heinous indeed.