There once was a genius.......

2003-05-11 - 8:06 p.m.

There once was a genius
Who couldn’t sit still.
His brain wouldn’t slow down
Or bend to his will.
He’d wiggle and giggle,
He’d laugh and he’d play,
And mostly forget what
His teachers would say.

He’d never be listening,
But always be doing:
Talking or thinking
Or bubble-gum chewing.
He wasn’t disruptive
Or even real lazy,
It’s just that his focusing skills
Were quite hazy.

His homework was easy,
He wanted to do it,
But somehow he just couldn’t
Bring himself to it.
He aced all his tests
(He was really quite smart),
But paying attention
Was a difficult art.

Finally, he figured
His grades would keep dropping
If his constant forgetfulness
Didn’t start stopping.
He talked to his mother,
Who knew all the signs,
So she drove him to see
Doctor Jewel B. Fine.

The doctor said, “Listen,
The problem’s your brain.
It moves way too fast
For your mind to maintain.
The cause is just what your mom
Thought it would be.
Our joint diagnosis
Is old ADD.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry
O patient of mine,
We’ll fix you up quickly,”
Said nice Dr. Fine.
“The way to get better,
the way to get well,
Is to take this here
Wonderful, bright orange pill.”

The boy was excited,
Soon his problems would end.
He could actually listen
And not just pretend.
What he didn’t expect was
That his brand-new pill
Would bring him more problems
And make him feel ill.

The pill sped his world up
And gave him a peep
At what life can be like
When a person can’t sleep.
He tossed and he turned,
He read and he talked,
But he couldn’t sleep no matter
How far he walked.

The medicine messed with
His appetite too.
He just couldn’t eat like
He was supposed to.
And then pretty soon,
After lunch every day
He felt sad for no reason,
All gloomy and gray.

The pill took his sleep
And his food and his joy,
But it really did make him
A studious boy.
“I hate it,” he said,
“But it helps me in school.”
So he kept right on taking
The pill made for fools.

So day after day the boy
Ate his amphetamine,
Simply waiting until
He could feel like a kid again.
He ceded his happiness,
Drugged up his soul,
In exchange for good grades
And good times in the pool.

Then one day he ended it.
He’d had enough
Of insomnia, sadness,
And other bad stuff.
He said to his parents,
“I give up. That’s it.
I won’t take another pill
Ever. I quit!”

Soon he was back
To his happier self.
It seemed all his sadness
Was back on the shelf.
He did fine in school,
No problems as yet,
Until once again
He began to forget.

He forgot to do homework,
He forgot to take tests,
He forgot to do research,
But he got much more rest.
His grades all went down,
And his teachers were sad.
How could a genius
Be doing so bad?

The boy tried his hardest,
He tried to keep up,
But he couldn’t get back
Up the slippery slope.
His parents got angry,
His mom and his pappy.
The boy’s grades were sorry,
But at least he was happy.

Should he look for another pill?
Try once again?
Or should he just sit there
And watch with chagrin?
Can our hero’s problems
Be solved with a pill?
Such is life for the genius
Who couldn’t sit still.

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