Here I sit: Pencil in hand, paper on desk and bottom on chair. I’m alert… or so she thinks. She babbles away, most of it meaningless. I put on a show. My face moves only in accordance to the tone of her voice.  A happy demeanor calls for my subconscious yes, an annoyed one for my sudden attention.

Right now she is happy, “ Class, do you understand?”  She receives a systematic yes. There is no sign of any comprehension, yet she continues. “Does everyone know what a…”  My mind drifts. My focus is lost.

I  begin to admire the posters that adorn the wall. They don’t seem to befit the class’s drab atmosphere. My eyes circle in search for an escape.  I find my only refuge. It is the gateway to the outside world for many, commonly referred to as the window. I gaze upon all the wonders it allows me to see. Happy birds fly with no restriction, and the tree branches sway in the wind. I am entertained.  I am in heaven.

“Do you know the answer,” she yells–abruptly ending my daydream. She knows she has me cornered. “Umm…uh?”  I scratch my head with no reply.

“ What is a simile?,” she exclaims –no mercy in her voice

“ A comparison using like or as,”  I reply.

“Lucky guess I assume.”

I let out a sigh of relief. Lucky for me there are only five minutes left in class.