Things that are bothering me in school today
The rude, insistent, screeching bell,
The wafting of school dinner smells,
An itchy jumper, new and stiff,
A poster on the wall, skew-whiff,
A car that’s honking in the street,
A radiator blasting heat,
The laughter of the class next door,
A piece of pasta on the floor,
My neighbour, tapping on their knees,
A blind that’s flapping in the breeze,
A lidless, leaking whiteboard pen,
A light that flickers now and then,
And in my head, my favourite song,
Plays on and on, and on and on.
“So, nearly there?” asks Mr Dunn —
I’m still on question number one.
The wafting of school dinner smells,
An itchy jumper, new and stiff,
A poster on the wall, skew-whiff,
A car that’s honking in the street,
A radiator blasting heat,
The laughter of the class next door,
A piece of pasta on the floor,
My neighbour, tapping on their knees,
A blind that’s flapping in the breeze,
A lidless, leaking whiteboard pen,
A light that flickers now and then,
And in my head, my favourite song,
Plays on and on, and on and on.
“So, nearly there?” asks Mr Dunn —
I’m still on question number one.
This poem is copyright (©) Helen Dineen 2026
About the Writer
Helen Dineen
Helen is an educational writer, originally from Edinburgh and now based in Southampton. Her first short poetry book 'The Incredible Whale and other poems' was published by Collins Big Cat in 2021. She has also had poems published by The Caterpillar and Bloomsbury. Helen previously worked in a primary school, and some of her best memories are of practising poems with the children, for them to perform in assembly.
