HUGO WILLIAMS
Old Boy
Our lesson is really idiotic today,
as if Mr Ray has forgotten
everything he ever knew
about the Reformation
and is making it up as he goes along.
I feel like pointing out
where he's gone astray,
but I'm frightened he'll hold up
some of my grey hair
and accuse me of cheating.
How embarrassing
if I turned out to be wrong after all
and Mr Ray was right. Luckily,
I'm in the top class
and come top easily, without trying,
the way it should be.
I could do better
in the written answer questions,
but everyone looks up to me
because I've been around the world
and have my own wife and motorbike.
I'm wearing my old school scarf
that I thought was lost forever.
Brown and magenta quarters,
the smartest colours in the world.
It was around my neck all the time.
From Collected Poems (Faber, 2002)