I found myself staring out the large windows into a parking lot full of stationary cars, and just beyond that sea of pavement was a hill with a softball diamond and several tennis courts perched on top. The sky was a constant shade of grey, so even; it seemed that only the steady hand of an angel could have accomplished such beauty. My eyes skimmed the outdoor world, and came across a lone tree, with thin, leaf-clad fingers reaching towards the heavens. This serene scene, though so innocently simple, held complex secrets that it whispered to me, and I whispered back. The secrets we shared were the secrets that we so vainly hid from the world, behind masks of deception.

So I listened to the tree’s song, and the grass’s poem, and the pavement’s mighty roar, and forever watched the cheerless grey sky that lingered above, like a burning memory. Oh, how it felt to be connected with the wondrous children of Mother Nature while we shared our sorrows, grief, and pain. But, all too soon it ended, for in the background, a low bell sounded. I rose from my seat, and left the classroom in a trance-like state, preparing myself to endure the rest of the school day. However, I didn’t depart without taking one last longing glance out the window, and I saw not cars, grass, trees, and a solemn sky, but understanding friends that I know will be here for me each day as I sink into a hard blue chair with books and binders balanced in my arms as I tolerate this unsmiling atmosphere.