It was evening and in the adult school parking lot,
Groups of young men met sullenly by their cars,
Handshakes with home boys were silently sought,
None looked too excited to learn their three R’s,
Despite a strict dress code in place for years,
They wore casual pants that sagged to their knees,
Some wore caps or hair nets over their ears,
Soon I would be saying, “Pull your pants up, please,”
While the young men waited, their faces were grave,
Low riders, new BMW’s, pick-ups, beefed up stock,
Were compared and evaluated for the status they gave,
Against a background of Mariachis, rap, and punk rock,
Soon the young men’s attention to cars grew thin,
Girls arrived, some with parents, some with friends,
Wearing tight jeans and tops that revealed too much skin,
I wondered, “How will lessons entice anyone to come in?”
First, one young lady entered, then two, then three,
I directed them to assigned seats around the room,
The boys watched the girls, the girls complained to me,
“Do I have to sit here? Next to him I’ll be quiet as a tomb,”
I finished the roll and held up my hand,
“I expect you to be orderly the next time we meet,
This is your first night; I want you to understand,
You’ll come in quietly and sit in your seat,”
“Now I want you to listen and be quiet,
Focus on your English assignment tonight,
I want you to think deeply before you write,
‘What would you change to make the world right?’”
“Melissa, did you want to share what you wrote?”
“Yes, Mr. R, I have things to clean from my life,
There are creatures that are in my life’s boat,
They ruin my dreams and cause me much strife,”
She looked around while she played with her hair,
She was an actress, letting the moment grow,
“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, and I don’t care,
You’ve ignored me too much, the real me you don’t know,”
“My psychiatrist asks questions, he just has to die,
Along with two girls in gym class who played me for a fool,
My parents who said no to my boyfriend, and won’t say why,
I think I’m justified if I really lose my cool,”
“Two of my friends will join me in this endeavor,
This is not a harmless prank or a silly little caper,
History will be made because they owe me a favor,
Oh, yes, Mr. R, you too, because I had to write this paper,”
I called for security to remove her from class,
She left quietly, no smile on her face,
She met with her counselor and another big brass,
They brought her back in, “Where’s her place?”
“You don’t understand, she needs this class,”
I looked at big brass calmly, “I’ll just say no,”
The counselor said, “If she doesn’t get it, she won’t pass,”
“No,” I repeated, “Because of her threats she’ll have to go,”
Maybe I was stubborn, I would rather say resolute,
When the forces gathered I refused to bend,
To me this was more than a simple dispute,
I didn’t think threats should ever begin,
I found out she was a judge’s daughter with lots of clout,
Odin’s thunder rolled and lightning flashed,
She quickly re-enrolled and I was out,
The evening when a mortal and the gods clashed.
Fantastic! How very…I dunno…immediate? ‘…there are creatures that are in my lifeboat…’ Ak! thanks for this!
Immediate, yes, and real. Taken from a true story.
you write lovely stories in poetic form,
what is your inspiration? well done.
🙂
Taken from a true story. I’ve been experimenting and I’ve felt supported with my fragile narrative poems. Thanks for being patient.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
I love the way the rhyming in this poem doesn’t feel forced or out of place in a conversation. A great story behind the words, I love the endings show of life.
The Lonely Recluse.
As someone who works as a part-time substitute teacher, I really related to what you were expressing. This is beautifully done. I agree with the Lonely Recluse that the rhyming is not forced…it just flows.
The poem/story was great…recognizable characters…I liked the mythological tone. Excellent.
love the interaction.. here’s mine for this thursday.. http://fiveloaf.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/the-tears/
I love stories in poetic form, I enjoyed it.
The evening when a mortal and the gods clashed… The end was great. True story? A very good one! Well done Dan!
Taken from a true story. Thank you for your kind words.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
Beautiful Dan makes one anticipate what to come next…
Good Thinking ..
Glad you liked it.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
Thanks for stopping by.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
What a great telling. I love the flow, the character depictions, the story.
What a great rhyming story! Excellent flow.
Thank you for your kind comments.
i thought i was there all the time…you made it sound so real 🙂
It was a page borrowed from someone’s life. Thanks for commenting. Hasta la vista.
What a charming poem! Now I really feel like experimenting with writing little stories in poetic form.
I write poetry as a hobby, my blog is verseforthecynical.wordpress.com. Do have a read! I’ll be subscribing to your blog from now on 🙂
The teacher got fired because he didn’t allow a girl to act out? That judge should be the one to get fired! Good poem!
Thanks for standing up for what was right! Everybody makes mistakes including those in power. Thanks for your comments.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
read like a story, I enjoyed it thank you 🙂
I’m having fun wrapping a story into a poem. Still experimenting and learning. Thanks for your comments. I appreciate your input.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
Written or extrapolated from the life of a teacher. It must be so difficult, now, with so many disturbed kids and threat. You have to be a psychologist, a security office and parent. Maybe even teach a little. Yikes.
My rally: http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/january-in-the-desert-jingles-poetry-rally/
Always fun and exciting. Thanks for your observations.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
very beautiful Dan…
Someone is Special
Thank you, Lady P. Your words are appreciated.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
I’m amazed…
http://loveamongotherthings.wordpress.com/
totally taken away by that story so well put in poetics!!!
Lovely read Danroberson!!
Kudos!
Thank you very much. So much to write about, so little time.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
A creative poetic drama! Love the line threads carefully guiding us through progressive stages!
I love how you combine poetry with your storytelling. Such wonderful talent.
JP
http://tasithoughts.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/pieces/
When I looked around, all the other poetry forms were taken.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
It’s so very clear in your writing, Dan, that you’ve seen a lot as a teacher. This rings true … as in true story. Well done and I the incorporation of myth makes it stronger and more meaningful. Thank you for sharing here. Much appreciated.
I don’t always write pretty but truth into a story makes it more meaningful to me and to readers. For Thursday’s potluck I have a story poem more suited for MLK Day, a mixture of truth and fiction, called The Skunk. I’m still trying to fine tune it and test it on a reader or two for reactions. Usually I just throw something out there.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
Yes. I enjoyed The Skunk very much. Poem on, dear friend.
I value your opinions as a friend and as an editor, a blogger, and a superior poet/writer.
But you don’t have to read any more. I won’t twist your arm.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
RE: Your comment below —
Not arm twisting needed! 🙂
Amazing what happens during stress or threats.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
How are you?
Please keep in mind to:
#1: return favor to poets who visited you
#2: complete 18 comments to your peers…or fresh poets to explore..
Thanks for the lovely contribution, it is fun when everyone gets the job done…
Happy Tuesday!
xxx
I have almost visited all poets who visited me. Because I submitted two poems I have visited 40 poets but will visit a few more. I have a slightly longer story poem for Thursday. I think you’ll find it entertaining.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
This is intense and very unsettling. Did this happen to you? That’s a terrible injustice hopefully the girl will get some proper psychological help
True story. And this was a few years after a school shooting took place took place at Lindhurst High School. My daughter was there when it happened and I felt it was not a joking matter. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindhurst_High_School_shooting
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!