In high school they try to teach us
about algebra, the Second World War and market equilibrium.
But I’ve learnt more from the girl sitting next to me
than anything I’ve ever read from a textbook.
The girl sitting next to me
constantly checks a blank screen.
A burning gaze that is never reciprocated.
I’ve learnt that the time it takes for a person to text back
is directly proportional to your worth.
I imagine I am just like her,
pampered and polished to perfection.
But is that really me,
or am I just cowering in her shadow
subsisting on the scent of her perfume?
I despise the girl sitting next to me,
she who never colours outside the lines.
Silently watching, without engaging,
judging me with unclosed eyes.
But I find
I need the girl sitting next to me.
Otherwise all I will ever be taught
is algebra, the Second World War and market equilibrium.
Dunedin Secondary School Poetry Competition