#100peoplepoems part 24: Mrs Bryant

1

Apr 6, 2016 by Tom

She was my year 2 teacher and this is the only thing I remember about her other than that she didn’t like us to write our names on the front of our paintings. I can remember her shouting “THIS ISN’T A PICTURE OF “ANDREW”, IS IT?” at some poor kid who signed his painting of a Viking long ship a bit too ostentatiously.

—–

Miss, wants upon a time

I asked you how to spell

A word.

You tried to help me but

It seemed to me you had

Misheard.

I knew at wants the word 

You’d spelled was not the one 

I’d said

But you were scary so

I wrote it in my book

Instead.

But when you saw my book

You laughed and marked me down 

As wrong.

Nobody once to fail

Or feel as if they don’t 

Belong.

I knew it wasn’t right 

I wish I’d asked again 

But now

I know that once is once

And wants is wants – so take

A bow.