To You, The College Acceptor

Toyou.To you, who does not know me.To you, who with a stroke of yourkeyboard Has the power to kill my faith and destroy my dwindlingself-confidence.To you, on whom my dreams may depend.To you, Iask only this:Please look beyond my SAT scores The single test thatcontrols my fate.Please see that the pressure was too great Theexpectations too high.Please realize that I am capable of more.Pleaseknow that the gym was hot And the questions unfair.Please see me formore than a square, thin, bald numberPlease, I beg, see me for who I am A round, colored, multi-dimensional person.Please look beyond the 83 inphysics, The one that pulled all my 99s and 98s and 95s To a mixednumber of 93 - one of miniscule valuePlease know that how things work, andhow they move, And roller coasters, and unforgiving teachers Are notwhat make my mind evolve.Please realize I am more than an 83, I am worthmore I am capable of betterPlease, I beg of you, don't see me as that83, as the black and white numberPle ase see me for who I am, a terrain ofcolors blended into a single frame Waiting for the chance only you cangive.Please don't punish me for that single detention The onemistake in my four years.Please realize I apologized for throwing that orangepeel, For littering the already-stained floor.Please know I am not avandal, A convict to proper societyPlease don't see me as unworthy ofyou And your unbearable standards.Please, I beg you, see me for who Iam.See my eyes, so tired from the sleep I never get From the endlessnights I stay awake studying for AP tests, or working out a single mathproblem.See my eyes which could easily belong to a retired 60-year-oldman But instead they are mine, those of a desperate academic Frantically searching for my place in an educated world.See my soul, soinnocent and untouched. So ready to break free from a small town and evensmaller people.See my soul, afraid to lie or cheat or, heaven forbid,steal For fear of never escaping the cruelty of my o wn mind.See me,please, for who I am: An unhappy, Struggling, Tired, Worn-out, Hopeless, Stupid TeenagerA teenager working onlyfor you whose imminent rejection Will crush me and my futureAnd please,after you've sent the letter And accepted the 1600 and 4.0Please see thetears streaming down my cheeks, And the wilted smile and angry parents And dashed dreams.Please, after all of that, remember my name And alwayswonder what I could have done. Always wonder who I might havebecome.