Dead Dreams

Shoot for the stars.
Be who you want to be.
You could walk on Mars.
Always follow your dream.

These are the lies adults told me.

To try is to compete,
Get good grades in school,
Get into a college or university.
Your brain is your greatest tool.

So many falsehoods betrayed me.

You see, the economy was collapsing,
before I was old enough to vote.
My schoolmates are relapsing,
To forget the sinking boat.

And we were doomed from the start.

Our jobs taken by those middle aged.
Since they've been laid off unexpectedly.
Opportunities dwindling, dreams being caged.
We were blindsided, so unsuspectedly.

Why did we eat the same lie?

Now the news keeps us quiet,
And drama keeps us fed,
We shrug shoulders, not riot.
While thousands of tears are shed.

What happened to the inspiration?
It died with bills, taxes and school loans.
We were brainwashed by education,
And became dumber with smarter phones.

And for the promises that were made?

Drowning in worry, lack of sleep, and regret,
Constantly worry about the next day.
We can't buy houses because of crippling debt.
But all the parents have something smart to say.

We were born into failure.

Our parents bore us to watch us killed,
To drop us off at a park and drive off.
But it wasn't a park it was a landfill.
Despite tough love, empty hopes kept us soft.

Reviews

[Franky]

There are sobering truths here. You express the frustration and anger quite well. It makes me think of how much I'd like to hit the rewind button and start over again about 20 years ago. Wow! I'd be so much smarter. And I'd avoid college debt too!! Lol

[Davidgeo]

The American dream really is completely dead.

An old dead French dude named Emile coined a word, "anomie". Way back in the late 1700's or something like that. You should look into it as it is very applicable to what you are writing about.