In childhood,                                                     There were never blues in our eyes,

None believed in blue skies.                               The ocean blue.

Hard was it to lie,                                              There were never stars in our eyes,

To the eye.                                                       The candle bright.

Hard was it to pretend,                                      Maybe that’s why our eyes were 

Not remembering.                                             brown and dull.

When all one had to do,                                     Right?

Was to open the curtain,                                          

To tilt one’s head,                                                    

And look at the sky.                                                

In Literature,                                                   The only time I have seen a forest,

Teachers taught                                               Was through a cartoon show.

Stare at one tree,                                             Two bears worked together to protect the

And picture a forest.                                         forest,

When writing papers                                        “Protecting the forest is every bear’s 

Titled Nature.                                                   mission.”

Many asked how,                                              I stare at the concrete roads, tall buildings

But each question                                             and factories,

Was followed by,                                               Wondering,

“Use your imagination.”                                     What happened to the bears in my city?

It’s here where we had learned,                              

How to make it to the word count.                           

In Math,                                                           What lights up the night wasn’t the moon,

Teachers taught to                                            It was the city lights.

Count the buried carcasses                                Perhaps without them,

And the stars.                                                  The world would be in complete darkness.

Calculate the distance,                                      Under the city lights

To the nearest trash can.                                   Could we chase shadows.

Many asked how,                                              It was with the moon

But each question,                                            When we were afraid of ghosts.

Was followed by                                                  

A fake smile.                                                       

It’s here where we had learned,                            

What is infinity                                                   

And what is none.                                                

In Science,                                                        It was the emerald pond that threw me off.

Teachers taught to                                             How you were supposed to see the lively fish

Ignore plastic,                                                   And cobblestone,

Floating fish.                                                     Resting at the bottom of the pond.

And recall lively rivers,                                       That clear pond with fresh water,

From textbooks.                                                The one the teacher referred to,

Many asked why,                                               Was instead like any ordinary dent on the 

But each question,                                             earth’s surface.

Was followed by                                                 Filled with grey,

An awkward silence.                                           And buoyant algae.

It’s here where we had learned,                          One, Two, Three,

Even teachers can mistake the truth.                   I counted. 

                                                                        Never mind, that third one is dead.

In Art,                                                              Of course we believed in the colors.

Teachers taught to                                            You know,

Color grass green,                                            The green grass,

Flowers pink.                                                    And blue sky.

And even described                                          Of course we did.

What is a rainbow.                                            Like how we once believed in fairy tales.

Many stayed silent,                                           But it no longer matters,

We all have been taught to                                The color, the argument, or the truth.

Know better.                                                     We were the immature.

It’s here where we had learned,                         Adults ignored us,

Even teachers were taught this way.                   As we cried about the emperor’s new

                                                                       clothes.

                                                                       They just continued to

                                                                       Cheer the emperor on.