Class Distinction

Class Distinction There is your desk. There is the globe of the world There is the blackboard, the chalk The clock, the letters, the sums There is your teacher, Her hair pulled back in a bun She will teach you the meaning of rules What happens if you break them Here, you're not daddy's Number One Here comes a bully. Run! Take out your milk and apple Bow your head for grace Now it is dinner, then playtime The playground's a frightening place You are a daughter of Eve You are hobbled in life's race And then you must stand in line ‘Don't move child! A wasp crawls over your face Here are the old school walls No strap. No nervous twitch Classrooms converted to flats Where tenants are passing rich Do they encounter the ghosts of children Learning their lessons by rote? The way to succeed in the future Is to take life by the throat