Today’s prompt was to write something that takes time.
Stuck in the Exam Hall
I enter in my pyjamas,
Having barely slept,
My beard’s gruffy,
I’m rather unkempt.
But my teeth are brushed,
And I’ve had a shower,
I’ve put on some deodorant,
That’ll keep me fresh for a few hours.
The door shuts behind me,
Blocking off the chaos outside,
People scrambling for last-minute explanations,
Others admitting their brain is fried.
I walk up and down the aisle,
Locating my registration number,
I look hard into my seat,
Does it have enough cushioning, I wonder.
The next three hours are going to be terrible,
For my entire body will ache,
My hand is going to cramp, my brain will fade,
I’m certain my butt atleast deserves a break.
I inhale deeply,
And take a seat,
The door is now locked,
My fate, now sealed.
The bell rings, it’s frequency shrill,
The room’s gotten colder,
With the AC on full blast,
The temperatures are chill.
My body doesn’t seem to understand,
I can feel a bead of sweat,
My exam paper is here,
And I’m ready to get wrecked.
I glance through the paper,
And look around,
People appear confused,
Our lack of knowledge visible, unbound.
Nonetheless,
I start to write with confidence,
The goal is to fill pages,
Even if there’s little of substance.
As I’m writing,
My mind begins to wander,
And all I can think,
Is whether my clothes will be laundered.
Quickly realizing I need a break,
I decide to drink some water,
I take a look at the clock,
Someone’s phone is ringing,
The invigilator’s caught her.
That chaos took me way off track,
And now I have two hours left,
I feel the need to pee,
My request falls on deaf ears, I am bereft.
Across the room, I make eye contact with my friend,
He’s struggling too,
He makes a PG-13 gesture,
I chuckle, and to write, I continue.
Thirty minutes later,
My bladder feels like it’s about to burst,
So I begin to sprint,
After I urinate, I run back – this routine is rehearsed.
Time is now flying by,
And there’s 30 marks still to write,
I’m pretty sure I need an extension,
But no help is in sight.
This last question is way too confusing,
How have I even made it this far, I wonder,
Now I’m drawing arrows because I can’t write full sentences,
My time-management has been a blunder.
The bell rings again,
My paper is taken
My friend makes another PG-13 gesture,
We laugh, my faith in our arbitrary marking system, unshaken.
Tejas Rao 