(When) The Students Swim Again

The sky a dark shade, As if it forgets to be blue. The sea, stormy, As cold waves wash ashore. The classrooms are quiet; The students write fast, Charcoal breaks. Computers keys swiftly press away. Faces buried in textbooks– Prisoners of a fluorescent hell. The laughter long gone, Replaced by short sighs. A final bell rings; The toil is over. The masses emerge– Whispers of formulas fading. The streets fill;  Joyous celebrations begin  Uptown, civilization thrives. The shops fill; Birds sing, Laughter heard louder than ever before. The sky once more bright blue, Remembering its role; As we walk barefoot on the dock,  Our feet burning from its heat. The waves ripple As we jump in; They crash above our heads– Yet we swim, no longer beneath their weight.