School's (nearly) out! Woo-hoo!

Daughter Anna and granddaughter Emma

 



by Pat Laster

SCHOOL DAZE

I.
Each day Home Ec teacher Miz Florence
would spew out her anger in torrents.
        "Stop talking and clean!"
        Girls glared at her--mean.
A dirty fridge was an abhorrence.

II.
A wild English teacher, Aegean,
attempted a task Herculean:
     "You'll write every day
     a good one-act play."
Her students became quite protean.

III.
World history was Miz Samples' thing--
The difference 'tween premier and king
        she carefully taught,
        but all was for naught.
Our ears only heard the bell ring!



SIGN ON TEACHER'S DOOR DURING PARENT CONFERENCES THE NIGHT BEFORE THE LAST DAY OF  TESTING

My psyche's fragile, weak and frail;
I'm resting for tomorrow's hail
of energy when testing's done
(they'll need some time to hit and run).

Two hundred kids: 'way, 'way too many--
my patience's fled--I haven't any.
So if you have a bone to pick,
please call tomorrow--tonight I'm sick.

[from Variations published 1994]