Middle School — Summary

As of the first day, Cliques are formed, The bullies and jocks, Geeks and band nerds, Slammed into the lockers, Fearing the halls, Forced to do the bullies’ homework, Getting pushed against a wall, The teasing is constant, Hatred and enemies result, The principal wanting to stay out of the way, Fearful, having been bullied in the past, When their faces aren’t buried in the books, They become hesitant, Indecisive, Irrelevant, Unable to make up their minds, Which way is north and which way is south, Speechless when around girls, In social situations feeling nothing but doubt, The bullies roam the halls, Their heads held high, Knowing they’re above the law, For them, there are no rules or guidelines, They spread rumors, With no basis in fact, Pointing their fingers and laughing, Ready to go on the attack, Lining up militarily, In cohesion with one another, As the nerds scatter about, Not standing by each other, The bullies approach rapidly, Pounce upon the weak, Obsessed with battle, Reluctant on making peace, Welcome to class, Welcome to adolescence, Unable to meet in the middle, Welcome to Congress.

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Craig Rozniecki's "Middle School" paints the school hallway as a place ruled by fear. From the first day, students sort themselves into groups, and the bullies and jocks hold power over the geeks and band nerds. The weaker kids get shoved into lockers, pushed against walls, and made to do homework for others. Even the principal stays out of the way. The speaker seems to look on with sympathy for the victims, who grow hesitant, doubtful, and tongue-tied, while the bullies strut, spread rumors, and act as if no rules apply to them.

The mood is tense and bleak, helped by the short, relentless lines that pile up like blows. The bullies line up "militarily," while the nerds scatter, unable to stand together. The last lines deliver the twist: "Welcome to adolescence" turns into "Welcome to Congress." The poem suggests that adults in government are still stuck in the same schoolyard habits, refusing to "meet in the middle."

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