Wisdom without Age

The boy in the class
Just stares out the glass
He doesn’t even look
Care or not care
He is neither here nor there

He is lost to the world
His eyes are a swirl
His are not windows to the soul
But they are glazed
The perfect maze

The boy in my class
What happened to him last?
What allows his gaze to go blind?
Did he ever get to cry?
Did he even get to say goodbye?

The boy comes back to me
A look without glee
He meets my eyes with perfect focus.
He knows what I saw
He looks away towards them all

And I see his look of pity
on them, unknowingly
I realize why he looks this way
One day they will discover
The same pain in his eyes that hovers

The bell rings, he stands
He waits for my command
“You’re older than you look”
He doesn’t flinch, just goes….
Whispers, “I know.”