Besieged Poem by Charles Wax

In the morning
at Spinoza high school
Tom Banta ate chalk
champing merrily
wouldn’t stop
until EMS
came
and carted him away
to the G Building
of Kings County Hospital
as UFT Chapter Leader
I hadda defend the guy
cause this wasn’t the first
time he did crazy things
one day
brought six African bullfrogs
to school
and set ‘em loose in class
laughed like it was
the joke of the century.
Herbert Tartt the Principal
wanted him out
argued with me
for an hour
“Next time, Bernstein,
you’re sitting in his class
the rest of the term.”
At Kings County Tom lay in bed
strapped down
at least
not in a straight jacket
like before.
“Bernstein,
you old flubbergaster
save me again? ”
I stared at the man
hair flying every which way
teeth a dark brown
from endless cigarettes
left ear today seeming
lower than the right
suddenly a tiny physician
came in
from India possibly
Sri Lanka
“How do you feel? ” he asked
in a clipped British accent.
Tom stared blankly at the doctor
who promptly punctured his skin
with a rather long needle
then took my arm
escorting me into the hall
“A friend? ” he asked.
“Work with him but
he’s been here before
can you help the man? ”
“Sir, I am presently responsible
for eighteen immense
and difficult Wards
possessing 182 patients.”
I took that to mean
Tom Banta would now sleep
and when he woke
still be
profoundly unhappy.