1. Mary Archer
ENG 272Q, D. Kubota
MW 3:15–4:30
17 Sept 2014
Epic Poem Phase Two
O torch of academic fire, invest me with golden wisdom,
Bring light burning bright to my glassy eyes,
Empower your student with ways gone past,
Bring breath, finesse, to this receptive mind.
The clang of chalk upon green board, wakes the hatred afire within.
I watch, with interest, as you scrawl your name.
Onizuka it is, this demon I must quell with pranks created in the depths of hell.
Unforgiven it is, my wretched past, all you teachers must pay at last.
I scorn you, hate you, you will not make it through the day.
Your monkey face I will enplace in the vilest scene in the vilest way.
Fun to see teacher-who-must-die in this bleak scenario. Youʻll crawl on knees, vilest worm.
Yet Onizuka-with-light-within breaks chalk with easy grace.
You watch, undeterred, as bullies punch my face.
You walk, unfazed, and repeat my line “who needs adults anyway?”
No words can shape the lesson I learned that day.
Frozen heart, bruised heart, beginning thaw underway.
Blood let I wait at my dungeon-palace room.
You say from below me “What of life, not school?”
I listen and finally get that the adult that I hate next will be me.
Sword-heart Onizuka, dull-brain Onizuka, you got at the heart of me.
Now may your name enshrine as the greatest teacher thereʻll ever be.
Books of magic, glinting pen-blades, all spurn me on to the next vision-lands.
Iron-oven school that once consumed my spirit whole, now stakes the fire of person new.
I choose to attend, face to face with the dragon-beast who breaks the dawn of new day.