"Words Can..." (Life Lines Poem)

"Words Can..."

We begged. We pleaded. We reasoned. What if they knock our teeth out? What if they make us bleed? What if they break our bones?

“If you get expelled, who will drive you to your new school? If you get expelled, who will give you a scholarship? Do you think that they give scholarships to students who get expelled from school?”

We feared our father more than anything in the world, so as difficult as it was to stop fighting, we stopped fighting. Most of our classmates treated us nicely, others ignored us, and the rest, and the rest- well, we could only wish that they would ignore us. We may not have understood their words, but we always understood the meaning behind their laughter.

As I got older, I knew that I had to take increasing responsibility for my family. I also knew that academic success would help me to help them. Even when I was older, I had always approached my schoolwork with the highest dedication. I read thousands of pages a week and cleared out whole sections of the Wheaton Public Library.

By then though, some of my classmates had discovered the best way to hurt me- not with their fists, but with their words. My middle school classmates massacred my self-esteem. My grades dropped. I got my first D in eighth grade and started to wonder if I could make it academically.

But the good thing about words is that they can also breathe life into our spirits.

My brother and family encouraged me

“Don't give up. You're smart enough. All you have to do is work hard and believe.”

The hard work paid off. I often got the highest grade in the class, and I carried an A through the entitle first semester.

I remember visiting my counselor, Mrs. Martin, to get some tips. She was my track coach’s wife, and she also had been my coach for scholastic bowl.

She told me that I could probably go to school anywhere I wanted. Duke, Yale. Maybe even Harvard.

I thought she was crazy.

I graduated from Harvard one year ago and have since thought much about my parent’s dream. By earning my scholarship and graduating, I have fulfilled it.

You are ready to face the snakes and drive them away.

You are ready to change the world.