Origami Boy

The chair, fittingly November grey,
Mocked the boy who would not fit
No matter how hard he folded himself
Trying to find a way to sit.
Lanky teenage limbs not meant to be
Bifolded horizontally
Beneath the gum encrusted
Unyielding desk top.
Knees knocked.
The ninety minutes cruelly echoing
The ninety minutes much better spent
Unfolded, stretched and running between
Blue and green.

Origami boy.  Folded impossibly
Impossibly unfolding the exam paper
Uncomfortable body; uncomfortable mind.

Origami boy.  After a decade of impossible folding
He folds himself asleep.
A mocking paradox alone
In this paradigm he cannot own.

That seamless form that they tried to,
Step by rigid step,
Bend into, perhaps, another swan to sit among
The certificates upon the shelf
A product of success: unflying, tight-clipped
Conformity complete.
Boxes ticked.

Perhaps one day society
Will really see –
Though it may seem less
A seamless sheet,
unlike that shelf bound folded swan,
Is already perfectly formed to kite fly.  Free.

Author: Lowrey E. Gray

Usually found with a cup of tea, a pet or a book, I am most content with life's humble gifts. A catch up with friends and home baked cakes is my idea of bliss. My heart beats where my family are close but my soul will always be in that place between sunset and sunrise. 💚

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