the approaching rattle of rosary beads
we all stand as the latin teacher enters
sedete in silentio
she says
we noisily
drag our chairs to our desks
across the wooden floor
we continue our translation
of Caesar's Gallic Wars
really enthralling stuff
for adolescent girls
to the distant pinging of balls
on the tennis courts
on a summers afternoon
keeping an eye on the clock
for the last bell to go
yay
afternoon tea time for boarders
two bakewell tarts cake and a piece of fruit
no shortage of volunteers to carry down the cake tray
to the cricket pitch
i wonder why
I am sure that the pinging of the balls on the tennis courts was more enthralling than "Caesar's Gallic Wars."
ReplyDeleteHa !
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the small rebellion of moving the chairs "noisily" and then the ironic "really enthralling stuff." Tennis balls are more memorable! You paint a detailed scene. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI went to a parochial school too. I remember one angry nun trying to teach us complex sentences. I wrote "The cat jumped" and got stuck till she said "More than the cat will jump if you dont hurry up!" LOL. I love the sound of that tea time. Everyone should enjoy teatime in the afternoon.
ReplyDeletenot parochial...all girls independent school....no lay teachers, only nuns in those days.
DeleteI love all the pictures here. "to the cricket pitch"...Who played cricket? I'm also wondering. :)
ReplyDeleteIm not sure why it was called the cricket pitch. We played softball in those days ( it's a softer version of cricket_)
DeleteYou leave us with an interesting question - a touch of darkness perhaps..
ReplyDeleteNah....carrying the tray down meant you could sneak an extra cake or two into your pocket ...the reason why so many were keen to take the trays down.
ReplyDelete