Testing Time
Sonny Dellasanta
An obscure wave of craze filled the air
Feet tap
“Pat-Pat-Pat-Pat-Pat”
Pencils scratched in a rhythmic melody
An arbitrary paper flip sent a whoosh of wind tumbling off the table
Eyes glance up at the notorious time-keeper
“Tick…Tick…Tick”
A prickly doomsday prelude to the pressure of college acceptance
5 minutes: 15 problems
I work in haste with not a minute to waste
Chairs screech and shoes clod the shiny tile floor
More and more tests fill the black box
More and more thoughts fill my blank mind
Stress suffocates
Pressure parades
I scurry to scratch each tiny round circle
My hands freeze thinking of my future
A future full of failure
Due to a dejected deadlock
An unbeatable obstacle course of tiny round circles
“No” I say aloud
My hands rift through the imaginary cuffs
I scan the last page
“RINGGGGG”
Times up: too late
