72. Mischief Managed [100 poems challenge]

72.          Mischief Managed

Serried ranks
Of battered desks,
Their ordered rows
Mocked by the disorder of
Gangly teenagers,
Restless and rambunctious,
On the cusp
Of outright riot.

With eyebrow raised
In stern rebuke,
A laser-guided stare
Across the room
Nails one target
Then another.
Noise subsides
To mute respect.

8 July 2013

Comments: When I first looked at this theme, I was tempted to write, simply, “Sit down//Shut up”, but it seemed rather rude and abrupt. In the end — though it took a while to come to me — I like the idea of the “proper” poem much better, although I’m not sure I’ve executed it particularly well.

Themes to come: 73. I Can’t; 74. Are You Challenging Me? 75. Mirror; 76. Broken Pieces; 77. Test

Explanation about the 100 poems challenge here.