Thoughts At a Faculty Meeting

A Meeting after an eight hour day Should include jubilant jiving, Exciting conversation, Lively chatter, Not a speaker who drones on and on and on and on and on and on In a disgustingly un-metered monotone voice No lilt No cadence No melody Just a methodical sameness I am making a list of things that might get her excited-cobra biting her thigh, School building burning to the ground, tiger tracks in the snow around her car... Hooray! At last our unknown speaker has encouraged us, the audience, to talk. We all lean in at our tables and talk toward each other Loudly and rapidly Words galloping out of our mouths as if a shot Has been fired at the starting gate Wrap it up! Wrap it up! Someone yells I look up amazed. Her voice is excited. We get a warning however we cannot shut up So we keep talking Wrap it up! Wrap it up! She yells. A shriek type warning Which we ignore By the time this is over I decide We did not need a cobra or a tiger. All we had to do was be ourselves. It is nigh onto impossible to control a roomful of teachers.