It’s Just Paper

 By Jona Poems

They keep on saying,

“A degree… a diploma — it’s just paper.”

But bro,

Come walk in my shoes,

Come feel the weight of that so-called paper.

It’s not just ink on a page.

It’s sleepless nights wrapped in silence,

Dreams stapled to deadlines,

Sacrifices folded into margins.

Stepping out of college,

We collide with storms,

Not celebrations.

We face a world that asks for the paper 

But mocks it once it's earned.

Work.

Dedication.

Deliberation.

Determination.

All stitched into that certificate.

A signature soaked in sweat.

Some get weeded.

Some restart.

Some collapse beneath the pressure.

And still, be

We rise.

We push.

We graduate.

Then you say,

"It’s just paper"?

No, brother.

It’s a battlefield in black and white,

It’s a flag of endurance,

It’s a silent scream of victory.

So be careful with your mouth

Before you belittle the blood,

The brain,

And the burden behind it.

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