DOPPELGANGER.

A BOY AND HIS TEACHER IN 1950S

Miss Damson
was a doppelganger

for Bette Davis
right down

to the look
and eyes

and swagger
into the classroom

to teach
and it was said

that sometimes
she‘d go into

the cupboard
and have a drag

on a smoke
and if any kid

spoke out of turn
she’d give a stare

to make his or her soul
seemingly burn

but you saw
the way she could bring

silence to a room
when she entered

or bring a shudder
of fear

into the hearts
of the classroom braggers

and when she drew chalk
across the blackboard

it’d set teeth on edge
or threw chalk

or the blackboard wiper
at any kid stupid

or brave enough
to open their mouths

and the way she wrote  
upon the board

her back to the class
that firm a*s

and with that neat script
her fingers tight

around the chalk
as if around

the throat of any kid
who dared to talk

and you
she’d say

you at the back
you with the dumb look

don’t stare
out of the window

open the darn book
or hey you

girl with the bangs
don’t sit there

with your mouth open
or you’ll catch flies

and there’d be
an underground snigger

from others
or just dumb looks

anywhere
but at Miss Damson

even stuck between
pages of boring books.