Local newspaper publishes eighth-grader’s poem

Congratulations to eighth-grader Aarav, whose poem “Trapped” was published last weekend in the San Antonio Express-News.

Each Sunday, the newspaper publishes a work from a local poet. Usually, the featured poets are adults.

Here’s the poem:

Trapped

I used to sit there on the bench,
Chasing orange butterflies, gold, brown, blue.
I spent time inside my head, with paper rivers and mossy trees.
I used to be able to touch, feel, taste, hear,
And express myself with finger paints.
Now I’m trapped in a cage we call home, cold, barren, and empty.
Now I build my knowledge inside a fit mold made just for me, and me only,
And now I lay here, painting words on a paper, solemn, quiet, free.