Nothing Left to Learn

It all occurred on March the third,
a Tuesday afternoon.
Our teacher shook her head and said,
“It may as well be June.

“Although it’s clear we will be here
for many months to go,
I’ve nothing left to teach you
that you don’t already know.

“So stack your pencil cases,
and we’ll place them in a drawer.
Your books go in a closet.
We won’t need them anymore.

“Then do your best to scrub your desk
and straighten up your rows.”
She bit her lip and sniffed a bit,
and then she blew her nose.

“It’s such a shame.” My teacher sighed
and gave my desk a rinse.
Those were the final words we heard.
She hasn’t spoken since.

And now, each day, we sit and wait.
The minutes slowly turn,
with sixteen weeks till school is out
but nothing left to learn.