Just outside the window, birds
chirp their harmonious song,
and the aromas of flowers beckon me outside.
I’m held captive,
in the prison of my room
by a piece of paper.
A paper with letters, symbols, and formulas
demanding for me to find the hidden code
that will make everything fall into place
and enable me solve
the mysteries of math.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions
mock me as they march
up and down the page.
To tired eyes,
sevens turn into ones,
pluses into minuses
Xs into Ys back and forth.
unyielding
and merciless.

Concepts and formulas slip away
like sand through open finger
or like mice
trying to evade capture.
Math is a black hole on earth
growing for eternity and beyond
sucking all of my strength.
Where does it lead?
Where does it go?
Nobody knows.
When will this torture come to an end?
When will this agony stop?