Kerry Bernatchez Poet Free verse

Systems of Ill Refute

cabbage patch kid, cheeks sink into skin  
smiles only appear within  
factory strength repetition,  
memorize the system  

crop, copy and paste,  
taught how to perform in haste  
textbook riddles  
and class hamsters named piddles  

wheels of cognition  
turn in futile missions  
escape the cage  
with adolescent rage  

reading books in forests,  
mind stretched in torrents  
radioactive waves of imagination,  
changing the landscape of their stagnant locations  

crests of knowledge hit the walls,  
and recede back into the bay  

asleep at the hamster’s wheel,  
spinning around the moment, unable to feel  
desks that contain the tools of the trade,  
restraining movement for 8 hours a day  

bricks in walls,  
and gum on shoe  
standardized tests  
walking around in suits  

vocation allocation,  
interrupting the view  
conjunction junction  
connecting the rooms  

one in green,  
one in blue  
the pink one  
is where the trouble ensues  

cafeteria food fights  
and anthropic moods  
lord of the flies  
and library late fees due  

dewey decimals  
and periodical news  
catch a fragment  
of what i do  

splice and slice  
the books on the shelf  
manufactured manifesto  
for the kid with no help  

burnt copies  
of domesday books  
i was here  
but your system never took  

invented parables  
for minds without lines  
your curated curriculum  
carries no truth  

design for life  
has me digging underground  
for the gold dust  
that can’t seem to be found  

break the boundary  
between achievement and success  
i want something more  
than just a corner office desk  

i want a place  
where memory is not mistake,  
but foundation for grace  
and marks  
are not meant to scar the face  

parrots who spew  
the memorized lines  
never add  
diversity and style  

so i count the miles  
between the PD days  
institutional regrets  
flood back into that bay  

flooding streets  
with sorrow and shame  
this is not my home,  
this is not my bookmarked place  

i create my world  
with words chosen from pain  
i know what i am,  
and where i shall remain  

stories are lifeblood  
in my veins  
one for each part of me  
failed by your domains  

i quit the factory  
of curated desire  
the building  
holding back my dreams  

libraries gave us power,  
but school dilutes the fire  

I'm walking away  
from fitting in  
no box is too big,  
no shape can fit  

my lack of education  
is a win,  
a righteous moment  
of chagrin and spin  

i took what was left  
after they removed my brain,  
autopsies  
for systems made in sin  

this is my system,  
my design  
broken rules  
and untempered views,  

a place to unfurl—  
and it is all mine.

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