When everyone is sleeping tight,
I am struggling beneath a light,
With books around me and dreams in sight,
I fight through my fears and tears in the night.
My brain needs some sleep and wants to be free,
But my parents' expectations stop me.
I want to sleep and want to rest,
But everyone expects the best from me.
The clock moves on, the night goes deep,
While all around me people sleep.
I read each page, I try once more,
Though I feel tired to the core.
Then comes the day, the results are shown,
They judge my marks as if they're my own.
They see the numbers, they see the grades,
But never see the efforts and sacrifices I made.
Rakshak is a Class 7 student at Udaya Public School whose writing reflects the creative spirit nurtured through the school's beyond-academics programme.