Ted said, “Last night I had the Special Power dream:
I could go through doors unseen.”
“Bernstein, ” said Michelle Dooling,
“that’s one of your composition topics.”
“This often happens:
I invade the subconscious mind of my students.”
Ted continued, “And after I had another:
I could stretch myself like Rubber Man
to be any size I wanted.”
Danielle stared at Ted with those sad serious eyes
I had seen before
when her baby ran a high temperature
and lay in the hospital close to death.
She spoke softly, “There ain’t nothing wrong
with how tall you are, Ted.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Just got to find a little woman.”
“You saying we can’t get together
cause you’re six feet and I’m only five? Eh?
But I’m growing.
The doctor says in another year
I’ll shoot up seven inches.”
Danielle continued, “You’re my friend, Teddy. That’s all.”
He leaped from his chair, stood on it
finally screaming, “THIS HOW TALL YOU WANT ME TO BE? ”
“C’mon, Teddy...”
“ANSWER ME.”
Then tears seeping into a terrible moan,
“I wanna know when I should stop growing
cause I don’t wanna get too damn tall.”
Ted flopped down, missed the seat,
now on the floor, looking up
utterly exhausted by his confession.
Laughter resounded throughout the room.
Finally Danielle yielding, me too
probably not wanting to enter sadness just then.
“What you two giants laughing at? ” said Ted,
making no effort to rise up.
Michelle Dooling asked, “Why you call them ‘giants’?
They ain’t that tall, just you so short, is that it? ”
Ted’s tiny tears trembled down his cheeks
the lad really suffering now
and more to come
unhappy in his own skin.

Charles Chaim Wax

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-heavy-world-on-his-narrow-shoulders/