They used to call me smart
Call me bright, call me gifted
And a part of me took pride
In reading faster than other kids did
Cause when things were standardized
And I was timed, and I was tested
Then I could prove that I was worthy
Of love and attention

Now I'm longer smart
No longer bright no longer gifted
And I can't read anything
If it takes me longer than 15 minutes
Yet I still scrape and search and crave
To earn that validation
That I can still be worthy and deserving
Of love and attention