TAPAN SHARMA Old School

TAPAN SHARMA | OLD SCHOOL

Another day, another dollar in debt

My parents started with nothing. How’d I end up with less?

Used to be the head of the class before the whole scheme collapsed.

Top of the pyramid, no peers amidst me

Now I peer into the mist, appears opportunity must have missed me.

Can’t seem to dig myself out of a dead-end career path

Turns out it’s pretty crowded on the so-called right track

Go-getters, goal-setters, thousand-dollar books in my knapsack,

Every generation wants the next one to break its back

Keep it moving, single file to the diploma mill, now

Do the graduation dance in that dunce cap and gown

I should’ve been the crass clown instead of wearing the class crown

Google “what was my 4.0 for?” Page not found

Trade in your participation certification for a 401K, but in the interim it’s

Hard to carpe diem with a car payment due in the AM,

So far in debt, lenders can’t seem to leave me a loan

Feel it in my bones I paid too much in tuition

Now a 9 to 5 is the new 25 to life, death waiting in the wings, coroner in a corner office

Postmortem: a deadly cocktail of being broke and boredom

Put us in cubicles and tell us to think outside the box

Incestuous nepotists banking on daddy’s direct deposit

While the rest of us have to make a name for ourselves

Tokens in their broken jukebox playing the same old song

Head down, chin up, do everything you’re supposed to

Put your hands up if you’re down with the old school.