Riding the Short Bus

When she was a child,
She was one of those
Who rode to school
On the short bus,
The one on which
The retarded kids rode.
Though she eventually
Went on to graduate
From a major university
And built a successful
Business of her own,
It gave her no peace.
No matter how much
She accomplished,
She was still
Tormented by
The need to prove
She wasn’t retarded.
The short bus
Was a mental stigma
She harbored
That drove her
Relentlessly on.
It was both
The source of her success,
And the root
Of her eventual
Breakdown.