Sleep

During the school year,

Sleep becomes an obsession and a precious commodity.

It is the subject of many weary conversations,

And is written under the eyes

Of every student who passes through the dreary halls,

Which are lit with harsh fluorescent lights.

These teenagers face daunting daily battles,

Also known as classes,

filled with tests, quizzes, projects, essays, and discussions.

These poor young sleep-deprived minds

are all too often forced to form complex thoughts,

And analyze Shakespeare.

Finally, at 2:25 p.m., the sound of freedom rings in their ears.

Exhausted, the aspiring scholars either head home,

Or extend their day by going to an after-school activity.

One might think that a teen would feel relieved and safe once home,

But that is not the case for the Lexington High School student.

Home becomes another school, open all hours.

There are no bells signaling the beginnings and endings of classes.

Instead, each subject eats more and more time,

Until there is none left.

Homework conquers the student.

Her mind refuses to meet the demands presented to it by all subjects.

Defeated, the teenager collapses into bed,

the most heavenly of places.

This brief euphoric experience is terminated

By a sound more hideous than fingernails on a blackboard,

The alarm clock.