1
she taps he hand, twice.
across the room,
he stares, thinking
into empty air.
others, scattered
tap pencils or fingers
on desktops, booktops
and phone keyboards
the balding man
with black hair:
combed backward
and to differing angles
so that his head is split
vertically-
stands, above the room
his back turned
his words,
meant for the crowd
reverberate only
along classes fringe
but still take precedence
over nothing
even to them-
academics, outcasts
2
back of the room
reveals everything
to the observer
trying to see
blue-eyed brunette
glares vengefully
at no one,
just to glare
he looks up once
to watch
as another
pulls up
drooping jeans.
she laughs
at conversation
unmeant for,
and inaudible
to her
3
today, she smiles
and lets her lip fall
begging, like a puppy
But when they
lose eye contact,
she glares, again
he leaves footprints
on parallel desk
from lounging
then fires himself
to his feet
using stored energy,
and sugar from gum
words bounce along
the walls in the back,
and isolated eyes peer
towards the screen
but hide the fact
that they care
4
two week vacation
has left their minds
full of everything
except math,
so they listen
to him, while he speaks
but travel backward
in time, with
those closest them
while he creeps,
silent, around the room
she concentrates hard,
on her work
glaring at the page.
he sits a desk forward
feet on floor
neighboring desk full
today, but only physically
blue hat rests
on sketchbook,
its border
barely covering
closed eyes
blond head
implants itself
jokingly, into
smooth shining
white wall
with enough force
to collapse
accidental target
a hand raises
attracting gazes,
awestruck,
at her interest
in forgotten
material
of future tests
5
only a few eyes wander
from blue lined notebooks
though the left flank
still chatters, embodying
either a secretive chipmunk
or the breeze which starts the storm
storm clouds appear slowly
in sketchbook, blue hat bobbing
rhythmically in response to active pen
perched above the flock
reminiscent, split headed
papa bird scans the masks
of his shockingly silent chicks
random lecture breaks the silence.
Her eyes aren’t the only ones
Fixed into a steel laden glare
But the chipmunk wind ceases
6
his questioning glance lands
on uninhabited space,
exhibiting a yawn
which traverses through,
and twists, the faces of
those otherwise engaged
lecture ends with a question,
the scent of nuts blows through
mentally empty classroom
turning desks to predetermined
positions and swiftly inhabiting
three-quarters of the physical class
his steel glare has replaced hers
the latter’s eyes now soft as an infants
within five minutes, his voice
undergoes a brutal, complete cycle
pleading, congratulating, yelling
and as always, lecturing
7
pre-test:
preparations for misery-
mundane chipmunk chattering,
jokes and laughs from random
oddities appearing everywhere
blue hat rests in intervals.
Blue coat rearranges
essay for another class
The girl in the sunny plaid
Rolls an orange along her hand
He points at nothing and asks
Nobody something without answer
The left flank, as always
Is turned away, conversing
A sigh rings outward loudly
Everyone glares, nervously,
Everywhere, reward of concentration
After my test:
First paper in, he scans lightly
Sets it down with a scowl
and yawns, twice, breaking the
silent shroud of heavy fog
which is hanging overhead
wandering free eyes witness
down-turned heads concentrating
as much on tests as on moving
their hands wildly, excitedly
trying to communicate non-vocally
others have yet to detach themselves
from their seats and stride upward,
hopefully more triumphantly
than their sole predecessor
one shuffles now, slowly toward him
his hand shaking as he releases
that paper, he turns away as it flutters
onto the desk- he replants himself in his
twelve others walk forward
smiling, shrinking, sometimes speaking
and always he glares, triumphant
knowing his success at our failure
later:
his near-sleeping form
finds distraction, in waking
dreams, jumping back suddenly
breaking from his plank-like state
without speaking. excitement
for approaching weekend is
communicated in the left flank
two girls break the silence
running in from outside
he glares at them, but laughs
everyone breaks into groups
after the conversation about
mysteriously nutty discarded sock
he runs to the forefront
forehead folded, finger on mouth
no-one notices, but still he glares
8
he smiles and glares at the floor
his legs swinging back and forth
tan slacks rustling softly
exaggerated scores bubble in ears
as they search for their destroyer
in front of forgotten faces falls
the page of a forgotten tome
several yawn, hoping, understandably
that their stretched lips
will pull themselves far enough
to barricade ears from his droning
he kills himself, twice, bumbling
into half-thought chastisements
of the flittingly flirtatious students
intermingling hoping behind him
causing waves of whispers, laughter
and slightly strengthened chatter
he re-aligns his thoughts quickly
and rambles on again, always
9
he speaks to her softly
from across a sea of desks
she looks up, panicking calmly
distracted from distraction
in silence, blank eyes turn
surprised at the non-withering
state of her barely living corpse
he asks a question, looking up
a single answer is given
unemotional and short, buy ending
heavy hanging awkward silence
how talented the teacher
who gives his lecture while
still addressing unrelated
student self lectures
the still silence given
in his questioning lull
hangs so loudly the whispers
traversing the classroom appear
silent as finger wiggle
and pencils trace zeros
his extrication, caused by
distractingly thunderous voice
is met with a comment
causing a wave of laughter
starting at his mouth
and extending to inhabit everything
10
half the time gives
twice the attention
as they concentrate
on keeping him on
the undying topic
of the work we
have already done
they admit defeat
as dusty tome opens
spreading a nutty cloud
causing heads to turn
and words to leap.
from opens lips,
mischievous gremlins
sprout, dancing on
tables and chuckling
away from the sigh
of his down-turned, split
shining, globular mind
he scratches pink ear
with bone pale finger
reading unrelated words
in the center of the room
both mentally and physically
he sits, momentarily quiet
as dark eyes glare past
rumpled pink nose,
concentrating
blue hat rests on open palms
above dust covered open page
he slips into sleeping state
but picks himself up
and stares though thin borderline
toward shiny rambling forehead
a shutter cord flies forward
the hand at the end pulling hard
but with no affect to the shutters
neither lowering the physical
or raising the mental
the color of non-color pencils
interrupts the class momentarily
as she strides forward to compare
and then criticizes his care
he just sits, smiles and stares
11
eleven desks lie empty
of one form more than usual
amplifying the arm movements
of the ever ticking seconds
his obscured mouth flings seeds
which sprout into words
before even meeting the worn
blood-colored carpet below
in the main room, sixteen
sit silent, sketching, sleeping
or siphoning the last minute
12
those left awake, and alive
have come to understand
the numbers on the screen
this being their specialty
in a nutty shell, of course
splitting, as we are, large
crowds of numbers, and us
being teenagers, isn’t that
how we think, in numbers
and ratings of everything
and, sitting in the central
crowd are the talented
crowd-splitters
flattery-spitters
13
the silence of half absence
is pierced, as always by vocal
anomaly, centered around
rows of shining wood
bookrests, but only one
set of hollow, dark-rimmed
vacant eyeballs watches
well-welcomed interruption
he lets us work, standing.
Someone somewhere opens
A large container of nuts
Entire class starts stuffing
Handfuls into puffy cheeks
Absorbing sensations into
Eternally ravenous minds
The apocalyptic mix of noises
Is split again by central
Nutcracker, and those in corners
Glare, smiling, rubbing shadowed
Acne scarred faces
with raw-bitten nails
14
balding papa bird speaks loudly
transforming his voice, becoming
vocally legendary cartoon duck
the wave of resulting laughter
ends in un-given nut-break
spreading, without speech
the understanding that his
comedic digression will not
meet a quick extinction
we greet the weekend
by rising early
our excuse: competition
to devour the worm
15
three heads are downturned
peering into textbooks
as the tsunami breaks
the days end starts
and beady eyes peer
in the direction of his
moving head, colored
gothic gargoyle in the
dim cloudlight streaming
through dust coated
slit windows
the room transforms
becoming triumphantly,
grumpily, repeatedly
conversational
artificial silence
spreads like a wave
from right back corner
to left front corner
leaving behind
the half of the room
hidden behind the wall
of troublemakers
who will eventually
cause the wall to topple
with the sheer force
of assorted nuts
16
blue hat is scrunched
under the of a fist
pounding on his head,
result of the decibels
consumed, and produced
by the embodiment
of the thoughts around him
which fall from stuffed
cheeks. Bounce off tables
and spread a sickening aroma
as their shells split
exposing, revealing
nothing
17
red face glances upward
as harsh words split
the widening sea of snickers
his words stop, first time today
as whispers spread wildly
of his speed in delivering answers
seconds later, room is silent
as statement ends and lecturer
turns back to him, offering
as always, another wave
of deep felt, anger hardened
quietly whispered, criticisms
thunderous-rush-voice leads
out of habit and necessity
the minutes following
his behavioral digression
each word stabbing split-headed
pointy-nosed papa bird, their
form a walnut-wood spear
crafted from drifted thoughts
of those sitting nearest him
18
on his back lies a pile of nuts
professor’s earthquake
shoulder shaking causes
eyes to open, back to rise
and with a tremendous roar
both physical and meta-physical,
it topples to worn carpet
and the laugh-track plays on
19
silence- pierced into being
by shrill, violent, mountainous
rise, and fall, of thunderous decibels-
hangs, heavier, louder than
the quick gone loudness replaced
or, in all actuality, displaced
mere seconds before being scrawled
into eternal memory
of those whose noses
sniff, daily, nutty clusters
of letters, which exclude
always, the ever-present x
the destructive π
and that y, which of course
flies as high as forgetful
nut-bearers
©Brandon Webb
2012