Science Block Toilets.

The drip of the tap like

the tick of a clock

as I sit on the top of the seat gripping the lock

It’s break time and I’m hiding

not from anyone

really

I just wanted some time without anyone near me

to breathe

in the midst of the chaos and noise

hyena girls and megaphone boys

police captain mannequin teachers

a gaggle of mad daggering laminate features

leeches attach onto top of the pack creatures

between bells they speak spells to keep sweet the divas

a legion of chair feet screeches

and I feel the bones in my ears crack

the CD skips

between these lips, my tongue whispers

You won’t ever get these years back.

So I’m here

to sit

while the crowds are outside

in my graffitied bubble

I pause and unwind.

And I read lines, scribbled and scratched into patterns

declarations of feelings

bad stuff that’s happened

Copyright: from Everything All At Once (Macmillan Children’s Books, 2018), © Steven Camden 2018, used by permission of the author and the publisher.

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Steven’s poems bring us into the familiar world of school – but with his sharp eye for detail, as well as his talent for creating ...

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