Poet Proctor

In that school, it is administration’s habit
to hire poets to proctor all
examinations in mathematics.
Tired desks and fidgety chairs
line up in straggled rows
across the gymnasium.
The poets bring flowers
or the idea of flowers
nasturtiums or chrysanthemums
And the flowers or the poets or
the chairs themselves Something
fills the huge space with the scent
of nectarines and sunlight
which can seldom drown out
but certainly dulls
the itchy snick
of all those ticking clocks.