I first learned German in 6th grade. I then took it as my language the following year. When high school came, I took 4 years of German, and was also in the German Club. By senior year, I was president of the German Club. I won a few academic awards in high school for German. Then in college, I chose it for my humanities requirement.
I loved German until I got into one of those college classes. I don't know if it was the time it was offered, or the teacher, or what. But it was easily the most boring class I ever had to take. And believe me, it takes a lot to bore me. I wanted to just stab myself to death.
In looking through my old college papers, I found a poem that I wrote at the time, about the class. Here it is:
Coffee wired, yet I'm tired
caffeine on my breath
In the class with my Bic pen
about to stab myself to death
Shove the ball-point through my heart
My red blood's turning blue
I want to tear my skull apart
why can't this class end soon?
If only I just had a noose
or revolver in my hand
or just a cup of poison juice
to take me out of slave Deutschland
As clock nears the hour,
I cannot wait no more
A Bic in my chest makes death devour
and blood spills on the floor.
I scream and curse and jerk and sway
The floor is my grave I touch
And Frau H. leans over the corpse to say
"Bitte, sagen sie es auf Deutsche." *
(* - Translated: "Please say it in German".)
