A blonde and bored brat

Meticulously nibbles her Moonstone nails

Then delicately spits onto the desk.

The boy behind her flinches

Then resumes the task in hand

With all the dogged determination

Of Captains Oates

And Ahab.


Above both and all

The air presses in.


A pigeon appears at the window.

Comic relief! A buzz of renewed vitality.

The pigeon, that great showman,

Swaggers before his audience

Then exits stage left for the easy lure of a discarded crisp packet.

'Eyes front, please.'

Another opalescent crescent hits the desk.

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