Pat Left School
by
David Richardson
Young and blonde, Pat W. sat
In the great sash window bay;
Warmed her feet and bum on iron
Pipes that under oak work lay.
Sat and read then sat and giggled,
Nothing riled her here at school
Had no Dad, or was it Mother?
Gelled with all of us - no fool.
But Pat, for some odd reason, left us,
Didn’t last the full five years;
Disappeared somehow from school
Without a trace – were there tears?
No photo of her in my album,
No picture have I got at all;
Only in my mind’s eye carry
Happy, simple, Pat at school.
And now she’s just a memory
Pat, petite and blonde and fun
Her absence now her only presence
In my mind, with school days gone.
Hardbake
Mrs Addy (housekeeper)
Mrs Addy’s laddy loves hardenin’ hardenin’
Mrs Addy’s lady loves hardenin’ bread
(repeat these two lines)
Roger Gerhardt (French teacher)
Roger says, “Eh bien, you see,
I like to have a munch
Of crispy, crunchy hardening bake
At breakfast, tea and lunch”.
Norman Bowes (Gardener)
“I’ve seen yer face , yer rascals”
Says Norman looking stern
“If you give me back me strawberries
You’ll have hardbake in return”.
Katherine Bolton (Biology)
“Why is it we run for it?”
Kathy Bolton muses.
“Is it transpiration pull
Or is it ‘cause we chooses?”