collins poem #1

Hate To Break It To You, But…

does it ever do any good to
sugar-coat things for children?
does it ever do any good to
hide the truth from them?

i don’t know.

but sometimes I wonder if
maybe we were honest with
them right from the get-go,

there wouldn’t be so many
messed up kids
with shattered dreams
and broken hearts.

maybe if we told them that
they can’t do anything they set their mind to
they can’t change the world
they can’t all become doctors and lawyers

they wouldn’t grow up to be so bitter.
and hate the ones who told them
they could do what they wanted.

because that’s life, isn’t it?
realizing you can’t do everything you want to
and some of your dreams will never
come true.

(Inspired by The History Teacher, page 38.)