A scroll of paper

Waking up to a bright new day,  
Carrying dreams that feel far away,  
School taught me the tools, the trade,  
Practice perfected, exams I slayed.  

Regalia donned, my head held high,  
Family, friends, beneath the sky,  
We posed, we smiled, for memories’ sake,  
But beneath the joy, the truth would wake.  

The ceremony fades, and reality sneaks,  
In job applications, hope often leaks,  
Assessments done, rejection received,  
Interview smiles that leave you deceived.  

You reapply, change your name, your face,  
But the door stays shut, a bitter disgrace,  
What does this industry truly need?  
Brilliance falls to the hands of greed.  

For some, it’s not about the mind,  
But connections strong and money lined,  
Degrees and certificates gather dust,  
While wealth and ties betray the trust.  

Is education worth the fight?  
When merit's shadow fades from sight?  
For in this world, who you know,  
And the depth of pockets seem to show,  
Where brilliance shines, but goes unseen,  
In a system jaded, unclean, and mean.  

So here I stand, a scroll in hand,  
Wondering if they’ll ever understand,  
That tarmacking souls with minds so keen,  
Are the ones who could change the unseen.  
But still, they sit in silent halls,  
While those with nothing, own it all.