High school?
Why the fuss?
Why can’t it be
a place of learning
Instead of what it is,
Some sort of politic?
Some sort of war zone?
Must it be so unpleasant?

Every day I observe,
But don’t comprehend,
Average, everyday goings-on
That seem so aimless
So inconsequential

I see the boy with lightning in his hair
Or maybe I imagine it is
In my mind,
I can see sparks leaping
off the strands
above indecipherable eyes
and a miserable grimace
What are you thinking about?

I see the girl with the vacant expression
The fight gone
Settling
For less than she is worth
Because of insecurities
Why are you so sad?

I see people,
New faces all the time,
Who look like their lives are ruined
Who talk like high school
Is life
And not just preparation for it
Will any of this matter in four years?

I don’t see the ones like me
That realize how life
Beyond high school
Is so much bigger than where we are now.