Despite clear skies and the warmth of a bright sun,
the dark cloud still looms.
He walks amongst his peers and their smiling faces,
each with their own thoughts and concerns.
He smiles as well.

Others drive slow and carefree,
he is reckless.
The cloud follows his path, no matter how far he goes,
and he prays for a wheel to slip,
so he can escape it.

His classmates long to come home,
for him, a nightmare.
The smile that he has so carefully mastered falls apart;
now alone, the cloud closes in.
He can feel the darkness.

He does not know where this cloud was born,
if it was his fault, or simply inevitable.
He hurts because he knows that he is broken,
a toy whose motor won’t stop spinning.
The only fix, to
throw it away.

He is tired.
Mind living in fear,
wondering, waiting, and expecting the worst.
His body aches, constant pain
accompanying every move.
He is tired.

It is close now.
Almost suffocating.
He does not have any answers, and he is sick of waiting.
The darkness is thick, and
only one light remains.
It is close; suffocating.

He longs to extinguish the last light.