When I was in elementary school they told us
to shoot for the moon and you will land among the stars
what I heard was that I should expect to fail
And so it was confusing to me when my mother got angry
with me for failing to get the grades she set as the benchmark
And so I was torn between these competing ideas
that I was expected to perform and deliver on a high level
but that I was to assume failure and reset expectations
The longer I was caught between this hard place
the more I allowed that confusion to turn the anger inward
What had once felt like being caught by a rock
would eventually become my crucible made my own hands
determined to burn away all impurities
But what was eventually removed from this fire
was not purified metal but the charred remains of a child’s psyche
School has unwittingly scarred many of us in a way. Nice poem, and very precise.
I like this. It makes you realize later on how things didn’t really make sense.
I’ve always loved the phrase shoot for the moon – even if you fall you’ll land among the stars. But I think that’s because I grew up looking at it as poetry and beautiful imagery – not because of the failing necessarily. I love seeing this different interpretation and getting to explore this very personal moment you experienced and grew from.