I don’t consider myself a poet. I’m more of a prose person, you see. I don’t know very much about the correct form of a poem, or about metrics and stanzas. I’ve never taken a class on poetry, though I hope to someday. I don’t even know what constitutes a poem as “good” or not.<\/p>\n
What I do know, however, is that throughout my time at U of M, I’ve begun to enjoy reading and writing poetry. They’re more for myself, if anything, but I’ve started to fall into the habit of writing when stressed. Prose, poems, you name it. My lack of experience with the art form has caused me to be hesitant in sharing it. Without doing so, however, I’ll never receive the constructive feedback needed to grow; as such, I’ve started to share some of my poetry with my loved ones. With their encouragement, I finally have the courage to share something poem-like. As such, here I am, risking possible embarrassment and an inundation of angry comments.<\/p>\n
Now, a little background information: I love my university, but coming here was a real shock. It’s not a secret that the University of Michigan has a wealthy student body; however, sometimes I wonder where the economic diversity and my fellow middle class (I guess lower middle class, by U of M standards) people are. Please note the VAST majority of people here, regardless of background, are very nice, polite people. But once in awhile, being at this university makes me wonder what causes students to treat others differently simply because of economic differences. You’re wealthy? I’m happy for you! Do you have airpods? Great! Live your life how you would like! These topics, while somewhat mentioned within the text below, are not the point; please know I’m not judging them, nor the people who those apply to.\u00a0 Written during a frenzied two-hour span after work one day, this poem focuses on entitlement. Without further ado, I present the rant-like poem called “Big Man”.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Big Man<\/strong><\/p>\n You donned air pods and a Canada Goose jacket<\/p>\n I guess you were ready to start up a racquet<\/p>\n Your wealth and goods were not the problem, you see<\/p>\n But rather the way you treat people like me<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did it make you feel good, Mister Big Man?<\/p>\n When you whispered to the guys in your clan<\/p>\n You spoke softly enough to not draw attention<\/p>\n But loudly enough for me to hear the mention<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Where is your dignity?<\/em> you asked<\/p>\n Your arrogance and scorn unmasked<\/p>\n Why would anyone work in a fast food place?<\/em><\/p>\n Oh, if you saw the expression on my face<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At the table you left a huge mess<\/p>\n We should really clean up,<\/em> one guy stressed<\/p>\n That\u2019s their job,<\/em> you snarkily replied<\/p>\n Your words insulting and utterly snide<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You looked at me with disgust and laughed with your friends<\/p>\n I wondered why you couldn\u2019t have just made amends<\/p>\n I guess you believed that you were superior<\/p>\n But the working class is far from inferior<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That was the first of many meets<\/p>\n Whether in class or on the streets<\/p>\n Did you ever stop and truly see me, Big Man?<\/p>\n Not for what I can\u2019t do, but for who I am?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I sat behind you and your friends in class one day<\/p>\n Sometimes I still can\u2019t believe the things that you say<\/p>\n You boasted about the answers you stole<\/p>\n Had paid for and copied by the whole<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You talked about your experiences in school<\/p>\n Explained how your parents had raised no fool<\/p>\n For they provided you with the best tutors and classes<\/p>\n Connections and opportunities by the masses<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you bragged about all your A\u2019s and test scores<\/p>\n Did you realize how your resources opened doors?<\/p>\n I\u2019m not neglecting your accomplishments, Big Man<\/p>\n But some other students just can\u2019t have the same plan<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I saw you again at my second job<\/p>\n This time without your buddies or friend mob<\/p>\n You came to pick up a package or two<\/p>\n But your orders were far from just a few<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the following weeks you ordered countless things<\/p>\n Hundreds of luxuries fit for dozens of kings<\/p>\n So many goods you\u2019d forget what you purchased<\/p>\n And yet your impatience still frequently surfaced<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your suit was more important than her book<\/p>\n You would groan at the line with just one look<\/p>\n You wanted your name written across banners<\/p>\n But Daddy\u2019s money couldn\u2019t buy you manners<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You admonished your peers for working<\/p>\n While you would judge them ever lurking<\/p>\n Nights where you got too drunk and blacked out<\/p>\n Featured students at jobs out and about<\/p>\n <\/p>\n College admittance is one battle in the war of a lifetime<\/p>\n Believe it or not Mister Big Man, some students live dime by dime<\/p>\n With lower graduation rates and financial strain<\/p>\n For some students, studying is not the only pain<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are barriers for your peers of low-income<\/p>\n But to you those students will always be scum<\/p>\n All I am asking is a simple plea<\/p>\n Listen to me, hear me, can you see me?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are plenty of privileged people, Big Man<\/p>\n The problem is not just that, do you understand?<\/p>\n It\u2019s the entitlement, the sense of supremacy<\/p>\n The contempt and ignorance that become your legacy<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m glad your parents support your education, Big Man<\/p>\n But the reality is that not everyone\u2019s parents can<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a bad thing to be privileged or \u201cthe best\u201d<\/p>\n But it can be when others are actively oppressed<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As such, this is my last message for you<\/p>\n Fix your attitude, be aware, be true<\/p>\n Treat others with kindness and use your influence<\/p>\n To stop the poverty cycle\u2019s continuance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don’t consider myself a poet. I’m more of a prose person, you see. I don’t know very much about the correct form of a poem, or about metrics and stanzas. I’ve never taken a class on poetry, though I hope to someday. I don’t even know what constitutes a poem as “good” or not. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2196,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12672"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12672"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12674,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12672\/revisions\/12674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}