School 1/20: Icknield Lower School

Once, i ripped a gold hoop clear out of this girl´s ear.
It sliced the part of her flesh that attached her ear to her head.
Like a pink cheese slice.

She had been bullying me in the playground for months before.
Taunting, mimicking, mocking, ridiculing.
I´d had enough.

And when she came up to my face one day
her cropped blonde wispy head
threatening my direction
i took a good look at her snot-crusted nose
and sore red upper lip
that peeled like a burns victim
her hands jutting close to my eyes
stumpy and nails bitten
down so far all that remained was a thin crescent
and fatty meat for fingers
at five years old, i made valuable realisations:

1) I didn´t care for kids who had green snot.
Mine was clear- and never on parade.
How did children manage to concoct such disgusting
gunge goo from their nasal cavity
and wander around as if it were some kind of trophy?

2) One should not continuously lick the area above one´s lip
it looked so raw and painful
that salmon pink grated skin
would never become me.

3) I would never bite away my nails in such an ugly fashion
it made me wretch.
and to this day never trusted someone with too much meat on his fingers and toes.

(now back to the confrontation)

Her scowl now making her ugly runt face even more contorted
Growing redder by the moment
fuelled by my look of disgust and pity.
Then, unable to control herself
she struck!

I´ve never been one for violence
however growing up i was always told,

´Dionne, if someone hits you, then hit them back twice as hard.
Without the teacher seeing.´

So with all my might and limited wisdom,
i shoved this urchin and her ailments away from me.

Insensed, she paused momentarily
(probably to size me up)
then charged at full speed
grabbing an easy target
(the braids that hung from my head with beads sewn to the bottom- now lamenting what a great weapon they would have made)

Disabled and unable to see now,
i swung for anything i could reach

turned out her earing was within my clutch

so i tightened my grip

and tugged

HARD.

Two swolen sodden red cheeks later
and a school mob outraged at my behaviour
i was marched to see the headmistress.



*I recall hoop earings being banned from there and shortly after that incident i moved onto the second institution in my school career.*