Learn By Rote 1960 Poem by Terry Collett

Fay's father opened up his bible:
read the first paragraph.

Fay looked at the page
and read the paragraph.

Remember that,
I will ask you this evening
to recite it to me,
he said.

She looked
at the paragraph again.

He closed his bible:
remember what I said,
he said.

He stood up and walked off
with his bible
and into his bedroom.

How will I remember that?
she asked her mother.

What page was it?
her mother said.

Fay bit her lower lip:
it was Luke
not sure what page.

Her mother said:
what was it about?

Fay shrugged:
I didn't take it in
even though I read it
and looked at it again.

Once your father
has gone to work
I'll get his bible
and you can go through it.

But what if Dad finds out
I have I opened his bible?

He won't I'll put it back
as I found it,
her mother smiled,
don't worry about it.

But Fay did did worry
even when her father
had gone to work
and her mother brought the bible
and went through Luke.

That's it,
Fay said
pointing to the paragraph.

Copy it out on a bit of paper
and try to remember it,
her mother said.

But isn't that cheating?

Her mother said:
God won't mind
that is whom you need to please.

Fay nodded and copied out
the paragraph.

Her mother took the bible back
exactly where and how she found it
even the angel page marker
back exactly where she found it.

Fay read the paragraph
over and over until
it was stuck in her mind.

When her father
came home after work
he got his bible
and opened it
and said:
do you remember
that paragraph
you read this morning?

Fay's mother said:
why does she need
to remember a paragraph?

So she will know
the word of God,
he said.

She does know as much
as she needs to know,
her mother said.

He looked at her:
I don't want my daughter
to treat her faith like you do,
he said.

Fay looked at her hands
which were shaking.

A row was brewing
she could tell
and the evening
would be hell.