Frustrated Poetry

        I was at a really difficult meeting today that I struggled with. During one portion of the meeting (when my blood sugar was at its lowest) I was staring at the floor which led me to stare at the pant leg of the guy sitting next to me and noticed that he had a paperclip at the bottom hem of his pants. Why? It wasn't holding the hem together, it wasn't doing anything. I was transfixed by this paperclip and started saying in my head, "paperclip, paperclip, paperclips" and then "clipper ships, clipper ships, clipper ships" and then I wrote a poem:

                       Paper clips and clipper ships
                       floating in my head

       This is a sign of bad things ahead. I know that when I feel the poetry start to flow, the meeting has been too long and I need to step outside, call my mommy, or get some food.

    Later, after lunch, a man in my group was talking and talking and I couldn't make my brain listen to him. I tried to take in what he was saying and repeat it back in my head, but I just couldn't do it. All I could think about was how slow the time was going and how I really wanted to be done and how torturous this was beginning to feel.

                            slow, tortured time ticking by

      I don't do well at 7 hour meetings, no matter how well planned they may be. I cannot be expected to sit still for that long! No one as hyper as I am should be expected to sit that long...I have such sympathy for my students! Wow, I seriously just considered that this must be what school is like for so many of my students. Maybe I should start wearing paperclips on my pants to at least inspire some poetry.