he feels trapped
wading through maple syrup days
one foot after the next
step after
step after
step after
step
he feels as if he carries a weight
straining his muscles and pushing upon his eyelids
his lungs are being crushed
the cacophony of noise is cluttering his brain
and the sun is too bright
and the grass is too green
and the teachers are too demanding
and the students are too loud
and the boys are too hostile
and the girls are too coquettish
and
it
is
just
too
much
therefore he trudges home
day in and day out
until he collapses on the bed in a fit of exhaustion
but his eyes will not close
so there he lies
in a mess of tangled limbs
sweat
sheets
and he waits
and waits
and waits
until he can bear to open his eyes
and the sun is dim
and the teachers are easygoing
and the students are quiet
and the boys are friendly
and the girls are sweet
and he can finally breathe
until his mind is cleared of the noise
until he can stand to walk and he will through the night
out the door
down the stairs
up the hill
to the park
until he can sit alone under the stars
and simply
exist

Originally published in KidSpirit Online for the Simplicity and Complexity issue. When she wrote this poem, Lila Hazan was a 15-year-old high school sophomore. She lives in New York City. Her favorite things to do are write free form poetry and play soccer.