Cruel Monotony

• Nicholas Kelly-Flett, Grade 10, Maclean High School
• Poetry
• 2013

2nd in the 'Dream Big 2013' competition

The sun’s mocking glare is like a blade piercing his eyes
Another ‘beautiful’ day, but he’s got no reason to rise
All the forthcoming dread floods into his mind
Isolation, depression, and teenage angst combined

His house is empty, no parents crooning before school
Three split shift jobs make a young man’s life so cruel
He looks for signs of their leaving, as his councillor advises
But no note, no breakfast, no heartfelt surprises

The school gate is a sneering monster, foreshadowing today’s pain
No friends and no purpose, his only goal is to stay sane
The bells toll, the crowd moves, but he stays behind
What reason is there to hurry to a place so unkind?

The last bell rings, his final morsel of energy trickles away
Yet he still has to fight to keep his battered emotions at bay
The days seem to be endless, they make his insides numb
But there’s no relief in sight, he’s got so many more to come