April used to be poetry month, 

Where we’d learn about rhythm and rhyme, 

But now that standardized tests have set in,

They tell us we just don’t have time. 

There was “Poem in Your Pocket” day,

Where you share your unique voice,

But now creativity’s gone away,

Now it’s nothing but multiple choice. 

They say tests show how smart you are,

And teach you all you know,

But how does filling in circles,

Help anyone learn and grow?

 

In class, when we could be thinking,

Learning how we can go far,

We’re categorized by the grades we get,

Like those numbers are all we are.

    

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Eliya Ahmad is in 7th grade at MS 447 in Brooklyn. She wrote this poem on back of her ELA testing booklet, April 2, 2014.