The Classroom Poem by Casey Mackay

The classroom is quiet,
No sound but for the scratching of pens
On blue-lined paper
And the rhythmic click-click of the ceiling fans.

The teacher leaves.
The room erupts in a wave of shouts,
Laughter, idle chatter.
Children leave their seats,
Wander across the room;
Revision sheets slide to the floor
And get trodden into the carpet
By sneaker-clad feet.

The teacher's shadow approaches
In the frosted window glass.
Everything stops.
The students scramble back to their desks,
Hastily restoring order.

The teacher enters the room;
Everything is silent,
All is perfect -
All but for one boy
Standing on his chair, facing the back wall.
He didn't see her coming.