Procedure

Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
The second hand on the wall clock
Marks the tempo while we scramble
SHE gesticulates that we drop and crawl
Gathers us as an ensemble
We freeze-

Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
Five seconds flat
SHE sets up the barrier
In the library, we grab the thickest books
From the shelves, voices no louder than a whisper
I choose my favorite, Harry Potter
Hard cover,
Rowling’s Goblet- thick enough to entertain
Thick enough to lob
If he breaks through the barricade

Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
Fifteen seconds
The smallest of us cram into the lowest shelves
An arsenal of tomes to
Guide our twelve-year-old minds.

Tick
They are
Thick enough to use
As a shield
Will it stop the
Will it stop the
Will it stop the bullets if he makes the mark?

Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick
Tick

Twenty-one seconds passed
Since the button was pressed

TICK
The second hand slows to
A definitive
HALT

There’s a rattle
At the door
There’s a rattle, getting stronger, then a shake
The walls begin to quake

Time moves on,
But we are stopped
Breaths held in our throat
The library may not save
After all

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick!

Some bow their heads down
As if to say a prayer
Some type on their phones
There’s a muffled squeal of terror
SHE raises her finger

Tick
I raise my Potter, ready to fight back
There is a click.
A half second of silence,
Then another “TICK” (twenty-nine)

Another pause,
It seems to last forever

The clock ticks on
I cannot hear it for my own thoughts.

Aching minutes pass by,
Before the speakers come to life
“Thank you, students,” a familiar voice chimes,
“for a successful drill. You may return to your
regularly scheduled class.”


Tick, tick, tick, tick
Time moves forward again
The steady pulse clicks

SHE rises, and collapses the barricade
We stand, and replace books back, the shelves no longer barren.
No Potter for me today.

“Okay class,” she says,
“That’s our library time for today.
Remember this formula
For the next drill,
And remember this protocol in the event of the real thing.”