Open and Closed

  The Lanyard  It’s authoritative, denotes purpose, justifies action and is identifying.  What am I?  Need more?  It's worn around the neck, speaking for itself which is just as well because usually we know what’s coming. At least those on the wrong side of one think they know from experience.  The answer?  The Lanyard.  One who wears a lanyard shall from hereon-in be known as a “lanyard- wearer”.  I’ve met lots of them these lanyard wearers. My first memory was of a school office lanyard-wearer. Frowning, “where is your dinner money- THIS  time?”. I kept my eyes on the ground managing only to lift them to view the bottom of her lanyard.  That one seemed exasperated and judgy. Sadly a good intro to her kind.  Next were the teacher lanyard wearers who demanded lost reading books, trip letters and gym kits who berated my lack of focus, unable to recognise signs of malnourishment.   Their lanyards I would have happi...

I missed a LOT of my primary education. A lot. Whole terms sometimes, days off here and there which often turned into weeks at a time. This was the pattern from P1 to 4th year. Except for Primary 7. The reasons for the absence were myriad, not important for what I'm going to try and say. When I did turn up at school I was "behind", noticeably and humiliatingly. Poorly hidden tears dropped on to pages of squares in maths jotters. I internalised my teachers’ frustrations and worried I was just frustrating. I can still feel the panic at the tobacco tin of words, and what it felt like when my classmates had words in their books and mine had few. Spot the Dog picture books. I hated that little Labrador puppy. So how did I "catch up" assuming I'm actually caught up that is. Being University Educated might count in some people's books, but I only learned what precipitation was when I was 23. Some gaps remain Presuming though I'm "caught up...