Sit, Listen, Learn!

 

He'd try to sit, couldn't hold on for long,
Fidgety, restless, frustration would only prolong
Tried hard to listen to parents and teacher,
Distracted, voices sounding like a background clutter
Kept working on sitting listening and learning
Realized wasn't at par with kids and his sibling
This sentence would redundantly echo in his head
"Sit, listen, learn" you dumb head!!!

"How come life can't be better than what I feel?"
Why is it so hard for me to deal
My head hurts after constant listening,
Nothing I do is gratifying
They say, am not in same learning standard curve as other kids
My parents are worried for me, not understanding my needs
Have tried all avenues, anger, love , comfort, compassion,
Yet everyday is a challenge for them to find a solution

They interpreted his "not sitting still as restlessness",
Not listening and disruptive behaviour as impulsiveness
His attention level considered as poor learning skills
parents embarrassed, trying to overcome his hills

"Trust me”, He'd say, “you don’t understand, I'm trying my best"
Parents instead kept echoing sit, listen and learn, and accept it as a test
All this felt repetitive and redundant in his head,
Until someone said "maybe something is wrong with his brain instead"
Suggested see a doctor who might help clear the clutter away
Who observed his behaviour without decision to change him right away,

That's when he told the parents "Your child has had attention deficit disorder"
They felt was a mental taboo, and asked not to speak about it louder
The doctor insisted on strict compliance and periodic follow-up
Meds, mental stimulation exercises worked, felt no more like empty cup

Before he knew, he was sitting longer, nothing felt like clutter
Realized the deficit had prevented him from thinking better
Parents and doctors worked together, we salute them for the joint effort,
helped him evolve into the person altogether different

He listens to his inner and external suggestions alone and in group discussions,
Has learned realities of life, applying them in every day decisions
Sits down for hours working on his research projects
Sit, listen, learn, now all sound real, not mystical acts