Schooldays

My early schooldays weren't
what they should have been;
a stray bomb reduced
my school to smithereens.

That disaster caused
a serious limitation
in my earnest pursuit
of a complete education.

I had to continue studying
in fits and starts
and never achieved
a diploma in the fine arts.

It happened, I was told,
during World War II
when I was seven
in nineten-forty-two.

Some of today's allies
were enemies then.
When the hostilities ended
I'd reached the age of ten.

I was very much relieved, 
indeed mighty pleased,
when normality returned
and the conflict ceased.

I gradually grew up,
got a job and found a wife,
eventually graduating
at the University of Life.

© Luigi Pagano 2025