i'm not exactly sure what to make of this, but there's definitely something special here, something about always coming up short and having that seemingly unreachable goal forever hanging over your head, constantly being reminded of your mistakes, i could be wrong though, but that's what I could interpret, anyway my point is: i liked it ^^
btw i really love the line you used in the summary =)

I like this. It's the summary that caught my eye -- a stirring line. I'm not much for rhyming, either, but this is great; there's note "roses are red, violets are blue" crap going on.

Very nice. Although I'm not entirely sure I understand: Is the mother her (your) teacher? Or did the teacher give her (you) a bad grade that makes her (you) feel as if they failed their mother?

I love this one
It is so like OMG
I mean, it really makes you stop and think

LOVE the ending. That was a great image. And the fact that you put the green pen up high gives you a sense that there's something left to work for, even though everything seems to be falling down constantly. The pen's still up there on the shelf even though your paper's completely ruined already.
Lorv it

I really like this poem, usually I don't like poems on here but this one is interesting. There are a couple of quirky bits that possibly could be altered but it's quite moving and i love the idea of the red and green pens: red is so much more agressive on a page than green. The idea here: "You pray that I’ll find her face lost in translation. / You say I can survive the world in lonely desolation." is good but something about the first line there doesn't quite fit- perhaps the rythm? Anyway, the poem as a whole conveys a strong sense of teenage frustration and, I hate to say angst because it's such an overused phrase, but something like it. It's good, keep writing!

I'm not sure what this is about. I like the contrast of the pen colors. I don't understand the sudden introduction of disease. Who is the authority here? You start out with "Mommy," but it seems to become a teacher? Is it both? I think that some other word choice might help. Do you write about your disease? Is that what this is? I think that the first two lines don't quite fit. I just feel this is a little jumbled, and a bit of polishing (I couldn't tell you WHAT to write) would make this a highly powerful piece.