The Edge of the Falls

Sharp tongue clicking like a clock on the wall Miss H. is screaming, waiting for us to fall “You’re wicked, you’re restless, you don’t know a thing! ”Her bitterness stings like a yellow-jacket wing She barks at the shadows, she spits at the light A biology lesson fueled by her spite “Figure it out! Go on, play your own game If you bleed in the dirt, I won’t whisper your name.” Step to the left, step to the right… The forest is deep and we’re losing the light. Teacher is angry, teacher is sour… Who will be king in the very last hour? We reached the edge where the water runs cold A story of gravity about to unfold A slip of the foot, a crack in the air She tumbled down fast with a look of despair Lying in the mud, bone breaking the skin She’s wailing for mercy, let the lesson begin Gretchen just smiled, looking down from the shelf: “Remember the rule, Miss? Every man for himself.” Down in the canyon, down in the mud… Water is washing away all the blood. Don’t look behind you, don’t lend a hand… We are the masters of No-Man’s Land. The screaming got muffled by the rush of the falls We turned our backs to her desperate calls Walking in rhythm, a slow, steady pace Leaving the ghost of her twisted face Her voice became faint, just a hum in the trees As we hummed along with the cool evening breeze No rescue is coming, no hero in sight Just the silence of woods and the coming of night. Sing it together, sing it so sweet… The moss and the gravel are under our feet. Teacher is crying, but we cannot hear… The sound of her terror is music to ear. She told the school board she’d stay for the night A tent in her pack, tucked away from the light “I’m camping alone,” was her final decree A waterproof alibi, wouldn’t you agree? So we let the dark take her, limb by limb In the hollow of shadows where the chances are slim She’s just a statistic, a slip in the rain While we’re on the bus, feeling nothing but gain. Hide in the bushes, hide in the cave… Nobody’s coming to visit your grave. The clock is ticking, the stars are so cold… A secret is better than silver or gold. Dinner is served and the kitchen is warm Mother asks Gretchen, “Safe from the storm? ”Gretchen just grins with a glint in her eye“ I learned how the heavy things fall from the sky. Don’t stand near the edge where the moss is too wet Or you’ll face a lesson you’ll never forget. ”They found her at dawn by the riverbed stones With the teeth-marks of foxes all over her bones. A new teacher is coming, let's hope she is kind, With a friendly soul and a patient mind. But if she turns out to be misunderstood, We'll take our biology class to the wood.