school days

black leather shoes
white socks
khaki shorts and white shirts
sectioned by grade
arranged by height
we stood in rows of disciplined silence
(knuckles caned with footrulers
were reminders to stand in line)
as the prayer meetings began
our school day

we were spoonfed Christianity
as moral science
(the first class of the day)

regardless of our religion
we cared about Christianity
we were graded on it

imagine the shame of failing
moral science!
also, Christmas brought us
a long vacation
Krishna Jayanthi just came and went

all classes lasted an hour each
we learned things we would and wouldn't use
later in life

a ten minute recess
an hour lunch
it seems we were kids
only 70 minutes a day
but my favorite memories
are locked
in that time frame

that's when
the orphan boarders
(Anglo-Indians all of them)
taught us vile words and thoughts

they talked about girls
and the myth of going blind
in the stalls
or proudly greased up
their horny
pompadours

that's when
we played cricket
(our palms were bats
to the spongy rubber balls
trees served as wickets
with the help of white chalk)
or listened to commentary
in hand-sized transistors

cricket filled our dreams
until girls entered them

our lunch was just there
between us and our dreams