A February Testing

A FEBRUARY TESTING

Distant voices through a window
Steamed up with thirty nervous breaths
And the thunder of a pencil dropped
Like a twig  falling  in a pond

The silence is choking, a penalty
Awaits the boy who dares call
His friends for help.  You pass or fail alone.
clock ticks are a measure of
the time left to prove your worth

The pens scratch in controlled fever
As the white paper yawns before
And the ink is squeezed unwillingly
From a pen tip wet with sweat.

The exam drowns everything for a moment
You must pass the testing.
Fifty years on another test
May depend more or less
On the way you handle this stress

But far off horizons cannot intrude
At the moment in youth when
The date of Napoleon’s death is crucial
Time crawls for you, races for another.

You are the sole oarsman in this
boat: which is all
Your life  -
For now
Copyright © | Year Posted 2010

Poem

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Brown Avatar
October 4, 2010 at 4:47 AM
Congratulations on your win Sydney in Paula Swanson's contest "Pass". Love, Carol
Haick Avatar
October 3, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Congratulations on your fantastic win in Paula's Contest Sydney. Enjoy this very worthy win! Peace&Love, Audrey
Gorelick Avatar
October 3, 2010 at 7:44 AM
Wow ,..I love this take on the contest...congrats on your win. BG
Mehta Avatar
October 3, 2010 at 5:15 AM
Congratulations on this well deserved win in the contest, Sydney
Sweetheart Avatar
October 3, 2010 at 4:56 AM
Congrats Sidney on your win in the Pass contest.. enjoy this super Sunday with luv..
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