I love the solitude of the exam room

where everybody is working

and so are you

at your marking

which normally would take you one whole afternoon or maybe more at home

or your reading of a good book which difficult messages suddenly becomes clear

or the writing of a poem like this one or the one two years ago at this same place

The mind is most clear the heart most settled

the atmosphere most facilitating

43 lowered little heads labouring

fruitfully meaningfully at something in unison

Not a sound

except the distant trucks making an occasional thump crossing a bump on the highway

the bottom of a machine hitting the ground as cargoes are being unloaded

and the driving away of a lorry at the backstreet of a department store

And the turning of a page

the putting down of a pen

No unnecessary stir

not even the distant trees under the mid-day sun

Everything is so quietly busily peaceful

Like the buzzing of the General Super Wave air conditioner

on this last day of April

in this 4A classroom