Held Back Poem by John Weber

Of course, Sathyanarayana! I had a pal in grade school who was a bit hyper. For me, such a thing was no surprise, since he ate nothing but sugar and candy. However, once the social worker in our school got his hands on him, he was smacked out on riddaline, never to be the same again. This poem is about that day I discovered he'd been held back a grade, seeing him in the hallway looking beaten and dejected. The format features prime numbers in the syllable count to represent the giant steps taken by the social workers and child protective services in the years since my youth. This example is beyond commonplace now; the abuse of pharmacology runs rampant in the United States, especially for grade schoolers. Over 50% of kids in foster care are now on some kind of beta-blocker pill. Sad doesn't begin to desscribe. The format proved limiting, but I think the sorrow can still be perceived much as I felt Kevin's despondance that fateful day. I hope this helps with understanding (100 words to describe 19 words, right?) . Thanks for checking this one out, Sathyanarayana! Much respect to you, as always! Warm regards, John

Sorry John, I am unable to get to this poem. Reads beautiful, but..........can you please explain a bit.