“This is indisputable piece of work, isn’t it ?”, a lady in her mid-forties not
more than 5 feet, an English teacher, asked in a moot hesitant tone.
“Yes Ma’am……I told you, only the first line, I picked up while reading a poem. Is that a problem?”, relied Anu.
The whole class listened to their conversation with sheer interest.
“No, No, hmm I meant this poem as whole is undoubtedly your work?”, ma’am asked with a polite but a doubtful voice
“Yes Ma’am……… yes……….I wrote it, yesterday”, Anu replied in a guileless
tone.
“Okay, sit down.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Ma’am kept staring at her for some time and yet again read the printed piece
of paper that Anu had handed her over.
It read,
“ My strangest dreams, wasn’t full of scream.
As it was all about I studied.
I woke up to see Shakespeare in front of me,
Asking me to watch M-O-V(Merchant of Venice)…………………..”
It was a 20-30 phrases long poem, will not take more than 5minutes to read
the whole thing twice. It contained an hilarious account of most of the
chapters and poems in the prescribed syllabus of ICSE 10th standard. Overall it
was relatively good, appreciable and enjoyable piece of work for the targeted
audience.
Ma’am took a few minutes to settle down and start with her subject. Rest of
the class was customary, few making notes, some listening and rest sleeping.
/
Next day,
After break, Anu is a little late to class and the English teacher is already in
class.
“May I come in ma’am.”
Ma’am looked around to see who it is, she stared at Anu for a few minutes.
Anu is slightly anxious, because if not in bad temperament, teachers usually
don’t take that long to say, “Come in.”, do they?
After a minute or so,
“Come in Anu, come in.”
Anu walked in, and went straight to her bench. Her friends are peculiarly
smiling at her.

“What? Why are all you grinning?”

“We handed over the poem to ma’am!”

“I gave that for you all to read, I told you I am a little sceptical about it!”, Anu
spoke in a worried tone.

“ It was good, we gave it. You would have never given it!”

“ See at start it would
sound like some romantic poem………..but…..it’s
not………..maybe that’s why she was staring at me.”

“It’s ok she will figure out, just sit down! Don’t overthink.”
Anu just sat down, else she would be disturbing the class.

Ma’am...