Shreds: “Resit in September”

Surprise me and feign thy love,
Stand steadfast and lay down thy sword,
Remain unmoved ‘midst the alarms’ roars,
And clench thy fists, learn to rise above,
As in the many films you mention,
Where you weep and for attention hope,
Perhaps though you show no signs of affection,
You merely wish to hold me close.

Perhaps I am but one of many,
Cynical, alone, with regrets uncanny,
Perhaps the crowd in the stands
Adheres to the notes with glue-like zest,
And I err with class, and live in strife,
Awake in class ‘midst students’ lives,
At the back desk with those who fail
And the saint of the hour, snob and flailed.

This is how to live beyond twenty’s span,
How to part ways, not count the scars,
And they’ll fail me too as I advance,
As I lack favor from the teacher’s glance,
For years pass, and I live with woe,
And they know I know not how to show,
And perhaps it’s truer than I grasp or remember,
When I’m conjugated to the now,
Peering at names on the list somehow,
Knowing that life’ll make me resit in September.