My World

My world is bound on all sides
By prefabricated wall
Where asbestos lurks
And sugar paper of rainbow colours
Is studded with drawing pins
And posters
Chalk dust permeates the air
And power comes with the stroke of a red pen

My world is filled on all sides
By desks that wobble
Marked and pocked
Announcing LP loves CM
John is gay, Lisa sits here
And RE is boring
In pink highlighter
Underlined in Tippex

My world is shared on all sides
By classes, groups and pairs
Of mixed ability pupils
Striving to be like each other
Unable
To stand out from the crowd
To stand up and be counted
To stand apart and be an individual
Talking, writing, listening and learning
Often ignoring
Always complaining
Resenting religion pushed down their throats

My world is seeking on all sides
A spark igniting
A light dawning
A question put
An answer given
A thought, a realisation inside
"I don't want to be a nun or a monk
But I want to explore
Something deeper
A starting point, a path to follow
A meaning to life
Here is the time, the place, the opportunity
To glimpse the unseen"

After wading through three sets of reports, I see too few sparks igniting and lights dawning!