Tag Archive | dunce

The Dunce

The Reflection Of Others' Ignorance

I just don’t understand things the way others do.
Life is so complicated, and technology
Has shot off into hyperspace. And I’m too old
To get up to that speed. I damned sure won’t be told
That my mind is declining, for as you can see,
I’m a masterful wordsmith and skilled poet too.

I ask plenty of questions. I can’t comprehend
People when they start spouting language only known
To those trained in specifics of complex detail
As if I know what they know. Therefore I must fail
To sit still and keep quiet. Though I feel alone,
There exists others like me. I would be their friend.

Once I was at a meeting. The smart people there
Were all tops in their fields. I was there to observe
And take note as the speaker with a PhD
Took offense to my questions. I just couldn’t see
What the hell his point was. I alone had the nerve
To be stupid enough that all were made aware.

At the height of contention, others one by one,
Chose to admit their ignorance as I had done.
The doctor was responsive and altered his tone.
Had I not been the idiot with a backbone,
All the lecturer’s students would have learned but none
Of the content presented. Fear is never fun.