Micturation blues

Teachers may pause to meditate

on the fact that they may not micturate

for hours on end, while on duty

now isn’t that just a beauty?

Standing there with legs crossed

hoping that not a drop will be lost

the washroom location ten miles down the hall comes as a surprise

and children cannot be left unsupervised

It has long been proven

that it is absolutely inhuman

to prevent people from going to the lavatory

but it still happens to teachers, in this free society

Teachers, instead of bargaining for more wages

perhaps you should tell the sages

that washroom breaks need be mandatory

the alternative is very sorry

Failing that, the staff room coffee machine should disappear

diet coke and even water lose their appeal

for until teachers turn into camels, I think

two hours and sometimes more are over the brink.

Janet Bellinger

C 2006