It Was Many And Many A Year Ago Poem by Terence George Craddock

I needed to write this piece of creativity
forming into existence within my mind
I was also dyslexic but this teacher never
worked this obstacle to learning spelling out;

I asked a friend sitting in the same small
group of four desks the spelling of a word
I needed I spoke a request when rules
were silent writing no conversation allowed;

or speaking tolerated; the teacher called
me by name to come to the front of the class
and promptly strapped my right hand with a strap

I returned to my desk; still needing the correct
spelling of a word; I waited a short while and
asked the same friend; again the teacher now

angrier called me by name again to come
to the front of the class and promptly strapped
my right hand with a strap harder than before;

I returned to my desk still needing the correct
spelling of a word; I waited a few minutes and
asked the same friend; again the teacher now

extremely angry with this continued defiance
of his discipline angrily shouted my name again
to come to the front of the class and promptly

strapped my right hand as hard as he could;
well by now several girls in the class were crying;
I was not really impressed my father was stronger;

and hit much harder; and I still needed the spelling
of the required word art will not be denied;
I returned to my desk sat a moment or two then

looked at my friend who seemed scared terrified
that he might be called up and strapped too but
the friend had a solution; he quietly pushed a small

scrap of paper across the desk a little towards me
what was this scrap ah the word needed I waited
a little then copied the word needed then continued

my short story I called The Beach finally finished it


Terence George Craddock (Afterglows Echoes Of Starlight)
Copyright © Terence George Craddock