ADOLESCENT"S EARTHLY PAINS

How pressure of studies and endless longing for the pleasures of life make an adolescent feel dejected about his school and his life as a whole.

ADOLESCENT’S EARTHLY PAINS

 

Earth is cruel

It is a school

Hires those teachers only

Who can teach about pain

I hate school

 

Earth is stoic

It is a school

Whose syllabus is

Mainly lessons of pain

I hate learning

Earth is sadistic

It is a school

Where the code of discipline is

No pain no gain

I never get disciplined.

 

Earth is diabolic

It is a school

That arranges hours

Of pain after each hour of pleasure

I hate classroom clock

 

Earth is incomplete

It is a school

Where questions are easy

But it is painful to search for an answer

I hate exams

 

Earth is infernal

It is a school

Where play ground abounds

With referees of religion

I cant play with playfulness

 

Earth is foolish

It is a school

Where failure to learn

Is akin to a painless death

I am the last one in my class

 

Earth is hellish

It is a school

Where punishment is

As painful as stunted growth

I forget why I should grow

 

Earth is demoniac

It is a school

Whose moral studies

Kill the beauty of god in kids

I lost the god in me

 

Earth is a big zero

It is a school

Where degrees are provided

Where success is declared

According to one’s endurance

And ability to abide by

One’s own stipulated time

Predetermined by his destiny

 

Nothing left to be done by myself

I feel that I am no more alive.

I am a huge empty zero…!!!

 

Reviews

[Tracie D'Angelo]

You know, I kinda dig the repetition. I think that there are poems best suited for that kind of structure and this is one of them. I like the idea that earth and basically life in general is a school. We are always learning all of the time and sometimes that learning isn't always pleasant. Very good work!

[Ashley Black]

very good write :)

[Angel Veselinov]

Earth is all we have!! Great Piece :)

[ShaneBerry]

very powerfull, but the repitition was alittle nagging, but the rest was strong. although i didnt loose my beliefes i school, i know several ppl who did, and this is ironic bcuz u r now a teacher.lol

[FlawedByDesign]

Unlike the previous reviewers, I did not like the repetition. A little repetition is fine, but with so many stanzas it resounds in my head. I understand it serves as drilling the idea/lesson into the reader's head, but I did not like it as much.

Other than that, great use of the earth as a school. A nice display of the harshness and struggle we, as students, endure. I wonder who the teacher is?

My favourite line,
"That arranges hours
Of pain after each hour of pleasure"

Well.

[A.Lee]

I agree with the previous comment. I like the repetition during this. It builds the poem up very well and makes each statement seem stronger and stronger. Very good write.

[Bhavya Kaushik]

I liked the repetition in this piece a lot, it is very lyrical. The flow is amazing :)

[Huggy Bear]

It is straight to the point and very powerful.

[Richard Williams]

I enjoyed this very much, and love, "Where play ground abounds/With referees of religion"; sharp.

[RDOriginal]

This poem really expresses the cruel realities of life whilst also acting as a warning to the young.

What really stands out for me when reading this poem is the use of quite a rigid structure. Something I've noticed is quite a trademark of your work. Beginning each stanza with a statement about the earth (and therefore life) we are presented with a series of miniature lectures. The earth is presented in some negative way and then we're told why that is so. This gives the poem an overall feeling of unrelenting negativity which in this case is a real strength.

The comparison between life and school is very closely observed here. Using the metaphor of the Earth as a school the reader is forced to think of it in so many different ways. It's a place with a timetable, questions, a playground, punishments and qualifications. We then learn how these attributes are corrupted versions of their educational equivalents. I think this approach works very well as using a common theme that most readers have experienced (attending school) the message in the poem is very difficult to misunderstand.

Ending the poem with a personal summary, 'I am a huge empty zero' shows how all these individual issues create the pressure that results in the lack of will to feel anything positive about either school or life as a whole.

I enjoyed reading this poem as it is has a certain gritty realism and the real jaded view of the world is portrayed very clearly.