Catholic School

[ampoule]

Catholic School, January 2, 2001

You dangle your riches in front of me,
But I see that ruler in your hand.
Then you ask me what I would like and the
Temptation
Is more than I can bear.
So, I reach out, just to touch and admire,
Knowing in my heart that you will not give them to me.
And then I brace myself and clinch my eyes shut
as I see you raise your hand high into the air and
like some mean and spiteful nun,
You whack me on my knuckles.
When at last I open my eyes,
Your beautiful face is speaking to me,
telling me to relax,
"Let's just have fun tonight."
I look down at my bruised fingers.
When you turn away I scuff my shiny patent leather shoes
so I do not have to see what my lesson will be.

[babybrother]

Catholic School, January 2, 2001

You dangle your riches in front of me,
But I see that ruler in your hand.
Then you ask me what I would like and the
Temptation
Is more than I can bear.
So, I reach out, just to touch and admire,
Knowing in my heart that you will not give them to me.
And then I brace myself and clinch my eyes shut
as I see you raise your hand high into the air and
like some mean and spiteful nun,
You whack me on my knuckles.
When at last I open my eyes,
Your beautiful face is speaking to me,
telling me to relax,
"Let's just have fun tonight."
I look down at my bruised fingers.
When you turn away I scuff my shiny patent leather shoes
so I do not have to see what my lesson will be.

Very nice, Now you know why I'm not Catholic anymore!

[ampoule]

Very nice, Now you know why I'm not Catholic anymore!

ha
Well like I told you, I'm not Catholic, but HE was and I think, now that I have read it again, and looking back, I may have been using this poem as a ruler. Oh no, the guilt!

[PrinceMyshkin]

Catholic School, January 2, 2001

You dangle your riches in front of me,
But I see that ruler in your hand.
Then you ask me what I would like and the
Temptation
Is more than I can bear.
So, I reach out, just to touch and admire,
Knowing in my heart that you will not give them to me.
And then I brace myself and clinch my eyes shut
as I see you raise your hand high into the air and
like some mean and spiteful nun,
You whack me on my knuckles.
When at last I open my eyes,
Your beautiful face is speaking to me,
telling me to relax,
"Let's just have fun tonight."
I look down at my bruised fingers.
When you turn away I scuff my shiny patent leather shoes
so I do not have to see what my lesson will be.

Without the explanation that you provided subsequently there'd have been no way for me to understand the relevance of the title, but there was something about this poem that kind of scared me as I was reading it and left me feeling sad after I had.

The "shiny patent leather shoes" is a killer detail that seemed to return you at the end to a dutiful little girl in a Catholic school.

[motherhubbard]

That left me frightened. I was so afraid of what lesson you might have to endure. I’m afraid I’m left with more questions than answers and I’d like to think things get better after the end of the poem, but I doubt that somehow. I’m not saying it should have a happy ending, I thought it was fine. It just created such an emotional response in me that I’m left with my heart feeling swollen.

[ampoule]

Without the explanation that you provided subsequently there'd have been no way for me to understand the relevance of the title, but there was something about this poem that kind of scared me as I was reading it and left me feeling sad after I had.

The "shiny patent leather shoes" is a killer detail that seemed to return you at the end to a dutiful little girl in a Catholic school.


Isn't it strange? I loved this poem and NOT to stroke my own ego but I THOUGHT it was rather clever. Now I am sad that I have made so many others sad or scared. And now I don't think it's very good at all.
I guess it's kind of like my not understanding the 'clay feet' reference, but I guess I assumed too much when I thought most everyone has heard the Catholic school jokes/stories of the nuns and being whacked by a ruler. Actually, I think that's in the 'olden' days because I hear there are less and less nuns teaching in Catholic schools (in U.S.A.).

[motherhubbard]

oh, i hate for you to feel that way. I really do think it is a good poem. I love what it says, but it didn't feel like a joke, it felt very serious. Maybe that was just me being serious. There are many other things said about catholics and the whack on the knuckels along with the lets just have fun tonight made me react that way. It is a good poem

[PrinceMyshkin]

Isn't it strange? I loved this poem and NOT to stroke my own ego but I THOUGHT it was rather clever. Now I am sad that I have made so many others sad or scared. And now I don't think it's very good at all.
I guess it's kind of like my not understanding the 'clay feet' reference, but I guess I assumed too much when I thought most everyone has heard the Catholic school jokes/stories of the nuns and being whacked by a ruler. Actually, I think that's in the 'olden' days because I hear there are less and less nuns teaching in Catholic schools (in U.S.A.).

It IS a good poem, dammit! But yes we do have those love/hate relationships with our poems. One day they're our darling kids, the sweetest most clever things that ever were borned (sic); the next they're these hateful brats that can't do anything right!

But no, there are NOT "less and less nuns teaching in Catholic schools"! Fewer and fewer, maybe...

[Pendragon]

Yes, it is a good poem, by any standards. I am not Catholic either, nor ever likely to be, but I know many.

Pen

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l108/AbsalomKane/Smilies/PuppyLove.gif

[Virgil]

Let's not get crazy and just blame Catholics on this. This was common practice in all types of school, even public school when i was a child. I remember a particular teacher in 4th or 5th grade that would hit me on top of my head with his big thick ring that was on his finger.

[ampoule]

Let's not get crazy and just blame Catholics on this. This was common practice in all types of school, even public school when i was a child. I remember a particular teacher in 4th or 5th grade that would hit me on top of my head with his big thick ring that was on his finger.


Oh, you are right about that virgil. It wasn't too long ago, when I lived in Texas, that the boys were taken in the hall and hit pretty hard on the behind with a huge paddle. It could be heard inside the classroom with the door closed and though we tried not to look, the boys would always have tears in their eyes when they came back in. Now, all these years later, I wonder if those were tears of pain or anger?

Thanks for the 'lesson' Prince. I need many. I have become so lazy.

Thanks Pen!

And MotherHubbard...You did not make me feel that way or any way. I was just trying to explain the Catholic school connection to Prince. AND, you are very right. The poem is not a joke. I would be interested in the questions it raised for you. I loved your response.

I appreciate all of you, not just for what you have said here, but for what I am learning from your responses to other poems also. Something was said somewhere about a poem standing alone, on its own, that it shouldn't even need a title. Sometimes, for me, the title is an integral part of the overall purpose or meaning to the poem, or the thing that makes me go back and look at the title and say 'what?!' or 'wow!'.

Just curious.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Oh, you are right about that virgil. It wasn't too long ago, when I lived in Texas, that the boys were taken in the hall and hit pretty hard on the behind with a huge paddle. It could be heard inside the classroom with the door closed and though we tried not to look, the boys would always have tears in his eyes when he came back in. Now, all these years later, I wonder if those were tears of pain or anger?

Thanks for the 'lesson' Prince. I need many. I have become so lazy.

Thanks Pen!

And MotherHubbard...You did not make me feel that way or any way. I was just trying to explain the Catholic school connection to Prince. AND, you are very right. The poem is not a joke. I would be interested in the questions it raised for you. I loved your response.

I appreciate all of you, not just for what you have said here, but for what I am learning from your responses to other poems also. Something was said somewhere about a poem standing alone, on its own, that it shouldn't even need a title. Sometimes, for me, the title is an integral part of the overall purpose or meaning to the poem, or the thing that makes me go back and look at the title and say 'what?!' or 'wow!'.

Just curious.

Yes, I happen to think I'm a whiz at titling my poems though most of the time I just use the first line which was the seed of the poem anyway. But it's like meeting someone for the first time and gleaning quite a bit from their dress and manner and maybe even a bit of conversation, but getting their name is a vital next step in the acquaintanceship and maybe a convenient way to remember them.

Maybe someone would like to set up a thread where people could post

The most intriguing title of a poem from this site.
The one that was especially helpful in getting at the essence of the poem.
The one that was most perplexing or seemingly irrelevant,

[Niamh]

Isn't it strange? I loved this poem and NOT to stroke my own ego but I THOUGHT it was rather clever. Now I am sad that I have made so many others sad or scared. And now I don't think it's very good at all.
I guess it's kind of like my not understanding the 'clay feet' reference, but I guess I assumed too much when I thought most everyone has heard the Catholic school jokes/stories of the nuns and being whacked by a ruler. Actually, I think that's in the 'olden' days because I hear there are less and less nuns teaching in Catholic schools (in U.S.A.).

I did really like this poem. But for me like so many others it is quite haunting. You see in Ireland we wouldnt joke about stories of nuns and priests(christian Brothers) and beening smacked with rulers(amongst other stuff). Very touchy subject.
But there is something about this poem that made me read over it a few times. Got that capturing quality about it.