The Weight He Carries

He goes to school with a fresh mind and unfinished dreams, dreams he hopes to fulfil someday.

With a heavy bag full of books,

he walks into the classroom.

The bell rings.

Notebooks fill with lessons, and pages return covered in red ink and corrections.

He learns,

he laughs, and he enjoys his school life with his friends.

But behind those smiles,

he struggles to achieve the marks he wishes for.

Still, he keeps trying.

There is a group of five friends,

always filled with jokes, laughter, and unforgettable moments.

Through a slightly open window,

a little sunlight falls gently onto the classroom floor.

These may seem like small things,

but sometimes, those little moments are enough to make him happy,

to give him hope,

and to give him the strength to take another step into the next day.

He is a boy growing up in a world that constantly tells him he must be brave.

He often hears, “Boys don’t cry.”

But they do not see the hidden pain,

the silent thoughts,

or the feelings he keeps buried deep inside.

He may not always show what he feels,

but he has emotions too.

He gets tired.

He gets hurt.

He feels afraid.

He needs someone to listen.

He needs someone to understand.

Yet, even with a stressed and busy mind,

he keeps his dreams alive.

Day by day, he grows.

Slowly, quietly, and sometimes painfully,

he becomes the person he wants to be:

a good student,

a good friend,

and someday, the person he has always dreamed of becoming.

This is what learning feels like.

This is what growing up feels like.

And sometimes, this is what it feels like to be a boy.

by Aditya Jangam