Between Bell Rings and Heartbeats
India, Feb. 18 -- I carry a timetable in my veins
periods pulsing like second hands,
every subject staking a small claim
on the quiet corners of my mind.
Some days, I feel like a half-written answer sheet
scribbles of hope, margins of doubt,
erasures where confidence once stood bold.
My bag hangs heavier than its books,
as if expectations slip inside at night,
adding their own anonymous weight.
There's a strange ache in becoming "Class 12"
a title everyone uses
as if it's a whole personality.
But inside, I'm still that kid
who sometimes wants a pause button
more than a percentile.
Still
in the hush between two chapters,
in the breath between two exams,
I catch a glimpse of myself
outside this whirlwind.
A self that dreams softly,
moves gently,
but still moves.
And maybe that's enough
not topping, not cracking, not racing
just continuing
when the world keeps ringing the bell
before I'm ready....
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