The burdening stress            Lips turn upward and chatter starts 
does go away, although   to swirl around the restless room,
just for a brief three             scaring away the 
months of a worry-free             stress for what seems 
summer haven.           like forever...

Lingering in the             Until next year 
heavy air, it lures           rolls around. 
us in, so we may 
endure its evil 
once again.

The stress clasps onto 
our wrists and halts
us in our paths, murmuring 
into our ears the first and 
final warning of the 

second semester finals. 
Two weeks away. 
One week away. 
Two days away.
Today is the day. 

The villain shuts down all 
senses, only allowing a
miniscule gap in our 
brains for the knowledge of 
what we have acquired 

in the past 180 days. 
Hands shake, knuckles 
crack, number 2 pencils 
scrape the paper frantically, students 
place their futures into the wire basket

Taut faces relax around the 
classroom. Finals have been
completed, leaving every pupil
worry-free. The stress is struggling 
to maintain a grip on the students’ wrists.