It took a second class period sitting in the room to hear
the stealthy ticking of the clock. (Perhaps it was because first period doesn’t
test very well -- some of them seem skittish about silence.)
But during second period, for the first time pretty much all
year, I noticed its steady, rhythmic breathing (perhaps that’s redundant).
It wasn’t until fourth period that it became incessant --
perceptually salient now that it has entered my awareness, a “face” from which I
am unable to turn (for it enters my ears at all angles).
It “watches” over me like a silent sentinel, its hands “pointing”
the ways to go for the students (if only they were paying attention to it).
I wonder if that sound will ever truly get out of my head,
now that I have become aware of it -- similar to how an idea never truly leaves
you, once your mind has processed it...
“The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to
its original dimensions.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
