We climb each stair, not knowing where the stairs will lead us. All aiming for the top, hoping to stop as soon as we get there. When we start it is fun, carried on the back of another. We get a feel for the stairs and then we start trying on our own. Some do not get help in the beginning and they never really figure out how to get up. In the end we are all sent to the stairs alone to figure it out as we go. We see posters with a face like Uncle Sam, saying; “I want you to reach the highest,” signed by the people we love. They signed on their way up, so we assume that they are somewhere up above. Life events happen with each step. We collect lessons like Pokémon; we grab them as we go. We hope it will make us lighter, but who knows? Some made me stronger making the stairs easier to climb; others made me heavier but only in my mind. When we fall behind it is okay to grab the railing to keep up. Society says it is best not to stray, for some have fallen along the way. Some give up never to be seen again, but maybe that is not worse than what is at the end.
Bat Rosenberg is a high school sophomore. Although she does not know yet where she is going for college, she works hard in school to keep options open. In her free time she plays tennis and reads.