allergic reaction

from a young age i was advertised

using words i had not yet learned to pronounce,

the center of a hurricane that

whirled at a feverish pitch

i was trapped in the fervor

for academic excellence,

success, an intangible concept

that i did not yet have the coordination

to grasp.

like bundles of hay

the idea made me itch and burn

yet i reached for it anyway,

a tower built upon the letter A.

school made my nose run with possibility

and educators were running out of tissues

to wipe the mucus away.

like a baby

sucking promethazine

from a bottle

i was

far too young

to swallow compliments

but the pressure found its way inside me

like the books i carried on my back,

weighing me down

until the compliments

stopped coming.

but maybe this is

prometheus's gift:

like fire to the lowly,

sometimes allergy medicine must be

delivered upon unripe infants

to soothe their swelling egos

before they burst.