As They Always Do

There comes a point in all our lives

When we reach the age of truth.

Where they ask what we plan to do

with the remainder of our lives.

As they always do.

In these moments you will learn,

Who truly believed in you, the individual,

And who never cared about your future

if it does not fit into their design.

As they always do.

I have reached this vital milestone,

at the edge of my graduation.

I, one of few to make it four years

but still they show it’s not good enough.

As they always do.

They ask me what I plan to do now,

Not because they care but as a test,

To see if I am worthy to keep around,

As something for them to brag about.

As they always do.

But when I won’t give such satisfaction,

And say only that I plan to write,

They must ask further questions,

when I will no longer answer.

As they always do.

It is as I said, a test,

To see if I am worth their time,

For who could love an unpublished writer,

when they cannot profit on them themselves?

As they always do.

Ironic that it is only older generations

who ask such questions on my future,

The same generations that have failed

to provide mine with a future at all.

As they always do.

So when they give their silent nods,

The truth lies in what they do not say,

From this, I have learned to weed the garden,

For when they seek me after I bloom.

As they always do.