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Student Life

Robert Larson
​Remember when we started out?
Bread, milk, and cheese the only things on the shopping list
For years
Remember how our bones started to protrude from our skin
As we walked everywhere, burning calories we couldn’t afford

Remember when life was a death sentence?
Our first bundle of joy came from an emaciated body,
Accompanied by hospital bills we had no way to pay
Further challenging our ability to eat and pay rent
To say nothing of feeding that beautiful new mouth

Established couples would look at us and fondly ask remember when?
Exclaiming “this doesn’t last forever”
For us it was like some freak science project to see how long a family could survive off of
$300 a month
The light at the end of the tunnel too far away to bring any hope

Now a decade later we eat chicken, at least
And eat out once per month
After careful budgeting
Counting pennies as if our lives depend on it
But at least we have a steady income as

Lives depend on it
Someday we’ll reach the light
And be able to see what others see
Someday we’ll be able to put our
Kids in braces and soccer

But that day is not today
So we continue to count pennies
Making them stretch beyond their bounds
So we can someday ask fondly
Remember when?

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