I said to a student this morning,
in a voice of authority,
and immediately thought of a statue
of some towering figure
who ruled with an iron fist and sharp
tongue --- the least of his (or her) weapons
against humanity.

I won't tell you again means
I just told you
How many times to do I have to tell
you
You're not listening
you are stubborn and insolent,
I am wronged.
What you have done is egregious,
but what is worse is that you can't
spell egregious or pronounce
it or appreciate its meaning
in a sentence.

What are you doing here, anyway,
confounding me, interrupting my plan
for how things are going to be?
When I say quiet, I mean quiet,
shut the door, sit down, pay attention.
Pay attention.  Pay attention
to me.  Build a mental statue
in my honor, kneel there. How
can you learn if you are talking
instead of hearing me the first time
I said I won't tell you again.

Outside the traffic hums.  
You will get in your car later
and drive home to where,
hopefully, there are a few kids
just waiting to get on your nerves
so that you eventually scream
I won't tell you again!

In the dark you may cry
because of someone's insensitivity,
someone's impatience toward
you, because you are in trouble
but you won't tell anyone
and you sure as hell won't
tell me because
I won't tell you again.