Star Wars Defense

There is a black and white photo
of my fourth grade class with me,
hands folded politely as directed,
sitting in a coveted front seat.  I count
five rows lined straight for fifty-two
students.  These were days of ducking
under furniture when air-raid sirens
sounded.  But our school was ancient
and we only had old-fashioned desks
connected to each other like rigid
railroad tracks: cast iron and wood.
They were so cramped that precious
time would have been lost attempting
the impossible.  Instead, we were shielded
by the heavens above.  Even God wouldn't
dare defy Sister Mary Joseph as she led us
in prayer for protection from our enemies,
yardstick propped against the wall.



Marilyn Aschoff Mellor