Poetic Response to "The Metaphor"

Miss Hancock, Please Forgive

A poetic response to "The Metaphor" by Budge Wilson

The day in grade 7,

The moment when Miss. Hancock unfolded the magical curtains to the marvelous world of Metaphor,

I was truly enchanted,

Captivated,

Entranced by the intriguing powers of language.

Her beautiful voice,

Flowing smoothly and ringing in the room, 

Sparked my enthusiasm,

My desire to express

With words.

She aroused my love for literature,

Empowered me with encouragement to pursue the passion,

Inspired me to transform feelings into splendid words.

But soon I fell into an abyss, a chasm so deep and dark that I could no longer see her

Or feel my own presence,

The destructive spirits of self-consciousness had seized and snatched me from the wonderful dream.

My sphere was shrouded with embarrassment and fear.

From day to day.

How many times have I woken up from nightmares,

Sweat pouring down from my forehead,

My body shaking with fear and humiliation.

Only because I had exchanged a glance with Miss Hancock.

But more devastating were my pain as I heard the laughter of my classmates,

Anger at my hesitance to stand up for her,

And guilt at my own cowardice for trying to ignore her,

Trying to pretend that I didn’t know her.

I had enclosed myself in a suffocating corner,

To avoid her hopeful eyes,

To run away from my own heart yelling at me with accusations.  

The day she ceased to go to school,

The morning when I realized with intense pain and sorrow that the flamboyant, enthusiastic, and dedicated Miss. Hancock had not and would never show up to English again,

The birds stopped singing, 

The sun stopped shining, 

And I stopped smiling.

My world, so full of betrayal and treachery, collapsed on me.

I tried to grab desperately onto every remaining bit of her,

I struggled to depict her face in my mind,

Luminous, amazing and brightly shone with the color of gold.

But it evaporated so quickly, so fast like arrows being released from a bow,

And her dazzling and attractive self transformed into someone defeated and tense,

Someone who had lost her meaning in life.

I screamed out my terror,

I could no longer see,

I was blindfolded with guilt and regret.

I knew it was me,

I was the one to blame.

Miss Hancock

Please Forgive Me. 

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