A child came and sat

smiling at her desk

on the very

first day of school;

and in her hand,

and in her soul,

she held her precious,

precious ring that

she called Curiosity.

 

Then spying her shining

treasure bold,

I looked her steady in the eye,

and then I said in stern a tone,

“You cannot bring that thing

in here. Take it off and

take it home,

and take it back

where it belongs!”

 

The next day she came

just as she had before,

but this time she stood

sad and frozen

at the rigid door,

for she wanted to see

If I was inside,

she wanted to hide

from my critical eye.

 

Then when she saw my back displayed

she ventured in and sat right down,

and in her daring, daring ways,

throughout the whole

entire teaching day,

she questioned everything done,

and all that I wrote,

and everything said

and learnt by rote.

 

And she created

marvellous silly things,

things of dreams,

inventions bold,

and shapes of poetry

never before told.

 

So I knew that she

had not obeyed

what I had said to her

the previous day.

 

So, as she left to go

and part our disparate ways,

I held out my  hand

and stared her down,

and then I said,

“Put that naughty thing

here safe in my adult hand!”

 

Then, most reluctantly,

she gave up her precious,

precious ring,

with a sigh and with a tear

and with a pleading frown;

and from that day,

she was fully, fully changed,

and more than able to do

all I said and

believe it all was true;

and best of all

she never, ever, ever got

such strange ideas

in her precious head again.

 

She was so compliant,

such a lovely girl,

that I gave her stars

and ticks as well;

in fact, she was so very good

that I came to call her often

my special, special  pearl.

 

But then one lazy

hazy rainy Sunday,

as I looked through my

special childhood box,

I found a glistening, glittering thing,

and fascinated I actually put it on.

 

Strange things began

to happen to me;

I began to dream,

I began to think.

 

I started to question and

imagine all,

and the weird thing is

I cannot explain why,

 

It seems I found Curiosity

from my own special,

special ring,

and I took it with me to

the classroom space,

and from that day,

across the whole

year and beyond

my precious, precious students

were never, ever the same.

 

I said to that precious little girl,

through a smile and

a warm voice as well,

“Go and find your special ring;

go and get it and

always and forever

bring it in.”

 

17/10/2016