A Bird With Broken Wings

Middle School continues and it only gets more stressful as the mid-term exams are coming up. Rather than the normal morning reading sessions, the whole class has to take practice exams on various subjects that are important for the high school entrance exam.

Having poor and lack of sleep for months, Shae struggles to keep up the school work and getting up early when she can barely finish her homework at midnight and have trouble falling sleep for hours. It becomes extremely difficult for her to get up on time. She barely has any energy to stay awake during the day and the first thing she that crosses her mind is hoping the teachers don't assign any many homework so she get to sleep a little extra. She loves Friday the most because on that day she has 2 easy classes: Art and Music where there is no homework assigned or complicated physics problems to be solved. She gets to relax her brain for a little and get lost in a world free of the constant pressure of school and a brighter future that seems so so far away.

"I wish I didn't have to climb so hard, I know it is for the future....but I don't know if I can keep up and make it there. Why can't I just enjoy the life I have now? I miss running across the corn fields and chase the butterflies; I miss trying to catch fish in the pond next to my grandma's house; I wish seeing the blue sea and breathe the fresh air. Not locked in a school and grind for the rest of life..."

"You want me to become an eagle and conquer the sky, but my wings are broken now and locked in a school. And I don't think I will ever be able to fly again."

Another day of exams, countless classes, Shae lies in bed and mumbles to herself. A tear ran down her cheek uncontrollably, as she slowly falls asleep.