I set foot in the harsh high school building,
breathing heavily as I break away from bright
colors outside and transition into the
dull tunnel.

I want to light a  lamp,
put in a new bulb so
this maze of sorrow and darkness will be lit,
so I can find a polished path out.
As I move through
the somber passage of school,
the repulsive rock overhead lowers,
great grades and endless equations
threatening to crush
my ambitions and accomplishments.
I shuffle through the tight tunnel,
past the grime slipping down
soggy walls, past the
raw odor sliding through the
shallow cracks of this prison.
For years I walk, hoping that
someday I will find my place in
this populous world, that I will find my way
out of this oppressive abyss.

The only way to escape is
to light my lamp of
dreams, of desire, of success.
Its bright beams illuminate
the insecurity and fear around,
and once I truly glimpse them,
I see that they are only
illusions imposed by high school.