It was

the weird little tests that tripped me up, like: 
match the color of the egg to the kind of hen 
that laid it. Or: what would a room made of mirrors 
look like if there was nothing in the room to reflect 
except other mirrors? I agree that infinity is infinitely 
interesting, but the quiet inside that kind of question 
must be more intriguing. I had a teacher who once said: 
what you dislike so much will probably tell you more 
about yourself than the things you already know. 
Everyone has passed through childhood, everyone 
has coughed from clapping one chalky blackboard 
eraser against another. I've squirmed in my seat trying
to keep it in until the bathroom break. Music helped,
sometimes. Or another kind of mild distraction.