Finals

Silence - Oh! That blessed state,

where nervous rank and file await -

in blinkered head down concentration

and soon to come deliberation,

where not the slightest scratch of pen

disturbs the meditative Zen.

But then, if briefly, swings the door,

a pace outside, then one pace more;

and from within, so lightly heard,

rustled paper, a soft spoke word.

The cat is missing, the mice will dance

when 'ere the moment falls to chance

Quando il gatto manca, i topi ballano

(when the cat is missing, the mice dance)

A friend of mine challenged me to write a poem about this Italian proverb and a brief moment of respite from long ago sprang instantly to mind. 

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

oh curiosity killed the cat, cheating killed the student...
that temptation when the test is so hard and we feel lost...that curiosity to see what that other person has written.
a very fun write for the teacher in me to read...my students probably prefer my finals...they are essays.
:)))