anaphora

We were losers.

We were about ten strong, ten outcasts.

We were too liberal, too sarcastic,

and we always smelled like bonfires. 

We were the top of our class,

ranking the highest on the PSAT.

We were infuriating;

you can’t smoke dope and be the valedictorian.

We were reckless and stupid

and we learned our lessons the hard way.

We were in love with life and our friends

and we weren’t afraid to be alone with one another.

We didn’t need the approval,

we didn’t need to fight back when we were chastised for trying to be “different.”

We were different, and we would have suffocated if we weren’t.

We were too smart for our own good,

we were questioning things with no answer.

We were waxing philosophic in rooms full of smoke,

we were skipping class and making straight A’s.

We were hated by the majority but adored by one another.

We were sad and trapped but heroic and determined.

We were indifferent and energized, apathetic and ambitious. 

We were losers.

We were about ten strong, ten outcasts.

We were too liberal, too sarcastic,

and we always smelled like bonfires.