I was a rule-breaker at school, calling
this boy’s name, pulling that girl’s hair,
leaving a frog or two on the teacher’s desk.
But Mr Wang, the new teacher, is no tame lamb,
smelled the blood with his hunter instinct.
He grabbed my ear, dragging me into his office,
roared like a furious lion. I stood in the corner,
arms extended, palms exposed, body shaking.
The air felt heavy, the cicadas crying out loud.
Smack! How the ruler bit my palms with a long tongue.
Smack! How my body shivered, how I managed to stay still.
Smack! What a burning sensation! What piercing pain!
Smack! How my eyes moistened, how my tears ran.
Crack! The wooden ruler split in halves.
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