Emma Alexander

Poetry: ¨I Do Not Understand¨

I do not understand
Our romanticization of struggle and debt
To prove our worth to the one percent, shiny
man-made gods
Or why the natural machinations of my mind are so
demonized,
Reducing my essence to mere numbers.
Empty pill bottles remind me of the constant sedation
To fit into a dystopia where souls collect dust
And sitting and staring is the new American dream.
And most of all, I do not understand
How my generation will make it out alive.
They warned us about drugs, but turn a blind eye to
stimulants
Because productivity is valued over health.
But what I do understand is the blessing of my
divergence
And the philosophy that pleasing myself reigns
ultimate authority.