Invigilating Poem by sherrie tappenden

the silence is deafening,
right up to the edge of eruption.
thick like sponge
and then suddenly
crisp and sharp,
knife edge thin.
crystal droplets of sound.
one rustle.
two coughs.
chairs scraping.
the rumble of stretching arms,
soft like morning yawns.
knuckles crack.
two coughs.
icicles of pen nibs jolting, jotting
scratching, tapping,
stopping.
stopping.
hovering.
thinking.
willing.
GO!
scratch, scratch.
one head on folded arms.
one pen laid out neatly
across the white virgin plain.
two coughs.