Student Debt Depression. (Dedicated to Andrew Restuccia.)

 

 

 

In halls of learning, whispers, like ivy, entwined,
With futures promised, young minds brightly shined,
Through books and theories, our dreams were woven,
But soon we found, the cost of wisdom cloven.
Loans accrued, the debtors swiftly called,
In the name of education, we were enthralled.

To parchment paths and lofty thought, we pledged,
In the hopes of brighter days, our futures hedged.
With a signature, we sealed our fate,
For a promised land, we'd not hesitate,
Bearing weighty chains of debt, a sour serenade,
In the shadow of knowledge, our innocence began to fade.

Upon graduation's stage, our triumph waned,
For the specter of debt, like a beast, remained.
We sought reprieve from the government's hold,
Dreaming of benevolence, bold and cold.
Yet our plea, in the halls of power, found no ear,
Only echoes of our dread, crisp and clear.

In the dance of numbers, our hopes were drowned,
As the federal hounds, in pursuit, were found.
Chasing us through streets of adulthood's making,
In the dawn and dusk, our peace forsaking.
The dream of wisdom, now a nightmare's silhouette,
Haunted by the specter of an insurmountable debt.

Once students bright, now weary debtors,
Bound by chains, shackled by collectors.
Our dreams, once vibrant, now washed in gray,
In the harsh light of the debtor's day.
A cruel lesson learned, a crueler price,
For the pursuit of knowledge, we rolled the dice.

Echoes of our plea still ring in the air,
Seeking justice, compassion, an affair so rare.
A generation's hope, tangled in red tape,
Our youthful optimism, lost in the escape.
We march on, dreams deferred yet unbowed,
In the shadow of the tower, where once we were proud.