We Loved our School
Everyone, including primary and secondary teachers
Were present, dressed in their best Sunday suits,
As if it were an exam day.
They assembled us under the covered playground.
There was total and complete silence.
The music teacher came forward, as if for a rehearsal,
The expression on his face revealing a profound sadness.
He said in a sweet and low, barely audible voice,
"Children, let us sing the 'Marseillaise'."
I really felt he had a hard time keeping up with us,
It was difficult for him to hide his emotion.
Then the principal came over to us.
We were struck by the paleness of his face.
With slow movements and in a moving silence
His eyes ran from one end of the playground
To the other, photographing the scene in his mind
And making a final picture of all of us.
With obvious pain he uttered the following words:
"Children of France! Our country is at war.
The Germans have just landed.
The school must be closed."
He stood there motionless;
Unable to say anything else
He gestured with his hand for us to go home
But no one budged. We left the lines very slowly.
It was hard for us to understand the real meaning of the situation.
Never before had our school seemed so dear to us,
Suddenly we loved it as we had never loved it before.
Copyright 2010 Emile Tubiana
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Regis
Be always safe,
Karen
Chip Bergeron
Blessings and Love,
Christine