I hope you didn't think the misunderstanding foolish on either your or my part.
I hope you didn't lose any sleep or fidget or get up and puzzle your dog with your pacing and sitting under a lone lamp with some inert milk.
The smartest student in my night class said, "This isn't what I expected," and talked around what he came to think was sounding like an insult to my ears as my arms crossed and my hand went up to protect my lips and hope, just keep the hope at a distance, because I didn't really need it, did I,
That he wasn't critiquing the prof to the face of the prof
And he wasn't, no, he wasn't, his eyes insisted, widening in the unneeded apology he wasn't really making.
So when the room closed everybody out, and I stutterstepped to my car and gassed the 15 home, and blinked the TV
And jawed old food, and fell to bed,
I didn't think of it again. No, not even now.
I hope you didn't lose any sleep or fidget or get up and puzzle your dog with your pacing and sitting under a lone lamp with some inert milk.
The smartest student in my night class said, "This isn't what I expected," and talked around what he came to think was sounding like an insult to my ears as my arms crossed and my hand went up to protect my lips and hope, just keep the hope at a distance, because I didn't really need it, did I,
That he wasn't critiquing the prof to the face of the prof
And he wasn't, no, he wasn't, his eyes insisted, widening in the unneeded apology he wasn't really making.
So when the room closed everybody out, and I stutterstepped to my car and gassed the 15 home, and blinked the TV
And jawed old food, and fell to bed,
I didn't think of it again. No, not even now.
Oh this is very cool and relatable, can feel the teacher's disbelief as he covers his mouth with his hand, see the student's overly-wide eyes as he makes his disclaimer, and I especially feel the "not thinking about it" once home is reached. So well done!!!!! Puts the reader right there in the middle of it.
ReplyDeleteSherry,
ReplyDeleteDidn't think I'd get a chance to comment on this on. Thanks to Poetry Pantry for allowing these to be dug up! Thank you for going to it!
Wrote this . . . 3 years ago? Of all my past postings, this one still reads 'real'.
The inside wobblings of 'communication'.
Trulyfool
the way you think is cool,
ReplyDeletein reality, we may actually did the opposite.
Jingle,
ReplyDeleteI'm receiving you.
You're pointing out that my way of seeing the psychology of that situation makes sense?
TFool