Jan Skácel - The teacher of the second death

Jan Skácel - The teacher of the second death
(Učitel druhé smrti)

On a long bench along four whitewashed walls
were sitting the children who had died
only recently
Now they were waiting
for their second death.

They were sitting in well-mannered way and with their little hands in their laps
Totally motionless and so quiet
that behind the open window the chains
of autumn merry-go-rounds were heard

With their little necks they were touching the wall
and were waiting until the teacher came
and were waiting patiently
like never before in their lives

Then steps on the corridor were heard
the teacher entered he came in with no face
as if there was no threshold
and the children greeted him without a word
And because all of them were already after death

no one of them was trembling with fear
They all knew
that once was not enough

Then when he started to call them out by alphabet
they stood up one after another
and after a slight bow
of their hardly fluffed head
with little steps left the classroom

Tiny they were All from the first grade