Sometimes It’s Hard To Pretend

I have this kid who

Worships me. He is like

Totally, totally obsessed with

Bro Becky. He wants to be

Like me and has a literal

Meltdown whenever I come to teach.

Like most things in life–

I am scared of this kid

I am a scared of how much he

Admires me, I don’t think

He should. After all, I am

A total fucking loser

Halfway to nowhere and

Getting slower by the hour

What’s gonna happen when he

Finds out that

Life is awful and

My optimism is merely

Professional, my passion

Personal, and my motivation

Eternal, despite all the evidence

That everything is a farce

And music is a hopeless

Childlike activity like

Baseball and Marco Polo

Ahhh yes

I enjoy teaching but–

Sometimes it’s hard to pretend