An Education Poem by Way Lenn

Grey against grey
Row upon row,
Obsessive order.
Single file,
Roll call.
The heart feels something
From these walls,
A pale, fanged breath
Closing in.
Nothing to look at either,
Your mind’s eye locked away.
Neck-ties drawn tight
To top button
Strangling each unique voice.
Clouds of chalk dust,
Allergic fits of despair.
Underarm odour,
Light tubes above-
Long and industrial.
Yes, the heart feels this,
Feels something from you
Slipping away;
Weakened by uniformity,
Swallowed by walls
Myself disappearing,
Recycled for sameness,
Spat out in numbers,
Cold calculation.
Bared fangs marking those days.
Imagination scattered like
Frozen breath.
Shattering cold,
Feeling myself only
In fragments,
Assembling pieces in the dim;
It’s when you feel around
Most for yourself,
When putting on the clothes
That make you look like
Everyone else.