Kindergarten: The Quiet Rug

I remember the milk cartons, warmed by the sun.
I remember my broken cookie - just one!
I remember my rug smelled old and dusty,
I remember the floor smelled damp and musty.
I remember the teacher said: “Take a nap.”
I remember the hard floor felt like crap.
I remember a room full of kids -- wide awake.
I remember we knew it was teacher’s break…

Some were moved elsewhere because they wiggled,
Some, reprimanded because they giggled.
It was never a nap, there on the floor --
Just a cease-fire in an ongoing war.

Mick McKellar
May 2024

It really wasn't a nap at all, just a chance for the teacher to take a break and for us to calm down a bit.
 

Mick