David Walker Poet Free verse

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Hiding Under My 3rd Grade Desk

Hiding Under My 3rd Grade Desk
David J Walker 

Mrs. Pollards smile 
Was enough to reassure every member
Of her third-grade class 

That their world was secure 
As the crass voice in the 
Crackling PA speaker announced 

An End of the World Drill in the
Middle of the day

Usually, a call to quietly line up 
And make an orderly march to 
The hallway where we would 

Stay crouched in a fetal position 
Until the voice returned to sound
The all-clear

But this time was different
This time it was 
Duck & Cover under your desk
	Was the end really that near?

Were the bombs about to fall
On Thatcher Elementary in
Pueblo, Colorado?

Did the commies hate us so much 
They would rain down missiles 
On our playground?

Not today! 
	Not when It was my turn
To pick sides for Kickball
A girl named Diane with blonde curls
Beside me talk about a sack lunch

And tetherball
And a game of Jax if the 
Hopscotch courts were full

Would the bombs blast the whole
Building away 
Leaving us huddled under our desks
Before recess?

Would we walk home among craters
Created by Commie planes coming

Over the artic just to find us while
Reciting the rhythm 
Of the Times table

The Social Studies lesson was
About the Pilgrims and how we 
Should be thankful for freedom 

In science we were learning 
About the moon and how soon
Someday we would get there

If they drop the bomb could we 
Still watch cartoons at 4 in the afternoon

Would there be anything left of the
Playground at Mineral Palace Park

And what about the swans that
Make their home on the park lake

How long are we supposed to 
Stay under these desks I whispered
To Mark 

I don’t know he said
As Mrs. Pollard shushed us 

As we hid and waited for
The all-clear

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John Lawless December 3, 2021 at 1:41 PM Been there, done that....and it always seemed to screw up recess. Now it's "shelter in place and cover your face". Nicely done bit of nostalgia. David Walker December 8, 2021 at 3:45 AM Ha, sounds like we had the same "Nuclear" plan. Thanks

Gary Radice June 24, 2021 at 11:59 AM David, what can I say? Absolutely brilliant! Loved the audio too! You've caught the naivety of childhood superbly. I'm about to go and listen to more of your work. Cheers - Gary David Walker June 25, 2021 at 4:04 AM Yes, duck and cover was a big part of public education in the late 50s' and throughout the 60s'. I and my friends were all sure that the bombs were coming . We just didn't know when Gary Radice June 25, 2021 at 12:51 AM David, I was born in '61 in the UK so no I wasn't familiar with the term Duck and Cover but deduced from your poem that it was about growing up in US 1950s during The Cold War. The naivety of childhood v the realities of adulthood is a theme that often crops up in my own work. Cheers - Gary David Walker June 24, 2021 at 1:26 PM Thank you, Gary. What a great complement. Do you remember those days too? Duck and Cover was part of life.