An Ode to a Different Kind of War

The silence is deafening.
You can cut the tension with a knife.
Young men and women are pensive,
the battle approaches.
Commanders and drill-instructors
march up and down between the battle lines.
The troops are straining with anxious apprehension.
The moment they dread draws near,
it is now or never.
They prepare their weapons...and themselves.
Th Commander-in-Chief checks his watch one.last.time.
He commands...
"You may begin. You have two hours."
They tackle the impossible task at hand.
This is no ordinary battle.
It is not fought for money or greed.
There are no borders to be won or lost.
The only casualties are the ones to be written.
No, this is no ordinary battle,
it is more important than that.
More dreadful,
more life changing.
This is a battle for their future
and they understand that failure is not an option.
The school bell rings
and signifies the end of yet another exam.
They have all survived yet another exam.