Detention

First of all, let me just say
That it was foolish
Putting a physics teacher
In charge of detention

Because if there's one thing I understand
It's time
And from what I can gather
The purpose of this detention
Is to purposefully waste the student's time
As a way of teaching them a lesson

Well, I believe that very few punishments
Actually fit that crime

I was sitting there
At this desk
Doing my detention rotation
When I looked out
And saw all these young faces
The youth actually falling off them
And realized that I was expected
To take this precious thing they've been given
This time
And purposefully destroy it

I couldn't do it
I just couldn't do it

Eradicate this precious commodity?

It was too cruel

Maybe if you'd asked me to paddle them
But waste time like that?

Because two girls fought
When one kissed the other's boyfriend?
Because three of them showed up late today
Because they were out at that awful diner downtown
Feeling like real adults?
Because one of them ate an entire pencil on a dare?

That last one does concern me
I'll give you that
We should monitor him more closely

The thing is
The only thing that's going to solve any of these problems
Is time

We have to let these kids out
So they can make more mistakes
Not cage them up
To keep them pristine
Like they're Gothic sculptures or something

So I let them all go

It was like releasing doves
They were so happy

Except pencil kid
He just kept chewing on his notebook

Again, we need to spend more time
With that one