This morning
Ms Arthur writes
NIGHT SKY
on the whiteboard
and asks us to try to describe it
in one sentence.
Everyone looks around the room
nervously
waiting for someone to raise their hand.
Ms Arthur leans patiently on her desk
until I can’t stand the silence any longer.
I raise my hand and say,
‘It’s like a blanket for the earth to sleep under.’
Ms Arthur smiles.
Cameron raises his hand and says,
‘It’s deeper than the Grand Canyon!’
Mick adds,
‘And wider than the Pacific Ocean.’
Selina says, ‘It’s where shooting stars
write their name.’
My favourite is when Alex says,
‘It’s lightning graffiti!’
And suddenly everyone is raising their hands
and calling out,
‘An ink ocean!’
‘Thick chocolate sauce with sprinkles for stars . . .’
‘. . . and the moon is the cook’s fingernail!’
After Ms Arthur
has erased the words
NIGHT SKY
from the whiteboard
and we’re knuckling down to maths
Cameron raises his hand
and asks,
‘Ms, can you write two words
on the board every morning
and we’ll try to describe it?’
Instead of answering,
Ms Arthur walks to the whiteboard and writes,
YES, CAMERON.