He walks along
one cautious step at a time,
trying to hide behind the towering stack of books
outweighing the boy.

He hears whispers like...
loser, nerd, geek.
Gossip and rumors fill the halls
enough that he could reach out his tiny hand
and grab hold of the many lies.

He unpacks his books
and completes his physics homework.
Poking at his broccoli.
His encouraging parents tell him to just stay strong.
He listens.

Another day approaches.
The usual bombardment of hate,
just words bouncing off his small body.
His books seem to lighten,
the others seem to fade.
Stay strong they tell him
and he listens.

Top of the class,
straight As,
no tardys and no trouble.
The window down the hall seems to brighten.
He stands tall and notices
the bullies walking the other direction,
his eyes still fixed on the window approaching.

Letters from colleges pour into his ragged house.
He grows a few inches and gains a few pounds,
his body making room for more confidence.
He stops beyond the hallway window,
stares outside and absorbs the beauty beyond the thin layer of glass.

He glances back and chuckles
realizing
that what hate can fill these halls
really doesn't mean so much after all.