Benny And Helen 1955 Poem by Terry Collett

Helen stared
at the playground:
what did Mr Finn mean
about the Plaque of London?
She asked me.

It was an outbreak
of the bubonic plague
between 1665-6,
I said.

What's bubonic?
she said.

An infection
I think,
I said,
Mr Finn said
it was spread
by fleas on rats.

She looked me
how comes you
hear things he says
and I don't,
she said.

I love history
and listen more I guess,
I said.

She looked at her hands
through her
thick lens glasses:
I'm not clever,
she said,
history bores me.

Never mind,
I said,
you must be good
at something.

Don't think I am,
she said.

You're good
at needle work
with Mrs Murphy,
I said,
I saw the thing
you took home.

She was silent
for a few moment
Mum said it was good,
Helen said.

It was,
I said.

She smiled:
guess I am good
at something,
she said.

The bell rang
for the end
of morning break.

Right back to class,
I said,
geography now
with Mr Good.

She stopped smiling
and pouted.

We went back
into school.

I'll never be clever,
she said,
always be a fool.

You're good
and pretty,
I said.

She smiled
going red.