Notes About The Poem
These two sonnets reveal the long-term, unseen effects of America's student-debt system, showing how educators and students get caught in a continuous cycle of financial hardship.
American Student Debt Crisis in Two Sonnets
In school we're taught that laws will always last
Students were told to chase a college dream
Student debtors hoped their loans would clear fast
Building a world where knowledge remains free
High schools were praised for high admission rates
When their grads went to famous colleges
The government gave loans to fill the gates
Knowing how the price of school increases
Americans filled campuses with hope
The colleges raised fees and opened doors
Loans given with ease, but no way to cope
Put weight on student debtors evermore
This was a way to tie their futures down,
Shifting rules, breaking promises pronounced.
Women took out loans for grad school with trust,
Believing promises their debt would fade
Teachers worked twenty years in class, fair and just
Yet, watched their balance grow and not be paid
Their rising debt brought panic to their lives
They sold her homes and cars to meet the strain
Two decades teaching earned them money's strife
And left student debtors with modest gain
She felt trapped like an indentured servant
Whole interest climbed despite her earnest care
No matter how much she was diligent
No money, no path to get her kids there
Why must a teacher tell students to climb
Weak ladders built on debt for endless time?
End of two sonnets, full stop.
Shining gold afterthought:
Why encourage kids
To indenture themselves
For learning that should be free?
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