James Keery
Janet
I was depressed about something - Janet Fairclough,
Whom I humiliated in my fourth-year lesson for asking,
‘Sir, when are we going to do the poems that are actually
On our ‘O-level’ syllabus?’, in her patiently-pained
And slightly sarcastic manner. I was sitting down,
And I didn’t rise, nor did I raise my voice,
I just said, ‘I don’t like your tone, I’m afraid,’ and then
Explained exactly why, at length. She was blushing,
And I did go on a bit, but it’s the second or third time
She’s spoken to me like that - and I wanted to make sure
It was the last. I had a quiet word with her after the bell,
When she was very chastened and apologetic -
Not a position I often put pupils in, perhaps not
Half often enough, it’s a difficult question. Anyway,
I felt pretty wretched until I’d been out for a walk.
Whom I humiliated in my fourth-year lesson for asking,
‘Sir, when are we going to do the poems that are actually
On our ‘O-level’ syllabus?’, in her patiently-pained
And slightly sarcastic manner. I was sitting down,
And I didn’t rise, nor did I raise my voice,
I just said, ‘I don’t like your tone, I’m afraid,’ and then
Explained exactly why, at length. She was blushing,
And I did go on a bit, but it’s the second or third time
She’s spoken to me like that - and I wanted to make sure
It was the last. I had a quiet word with her after the bell,
When she was very chastened and apologetic -
Not a position I often put pupils in, perhaps not
Half often enough, it’s a difficult question. Anyway,
I felt pretty wretched until I’d been out for a walk.
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