When I was in middle school, I loved my science teacher so much.
I was a good student so he, too, loved me.
During winter breaks, they always gave us a lot of homework to do.
One time during the break, I got sick and went to Cairo to get treated,
So I didn’t do the homework.

On the first day of classes, the science teacher,
Asked everyone for their copybooks so he could look at the homework.
“Your copybook, your copybook!”
“I didn’t do the homework, mister!”
“What do you mean? You didn’t do the homework you were supposed to do during break?”
“No.”
“Get out!”

I thought he knew that I was sick like the rest of the teachers,
But it turned out that he didn’t know.
After a while, another teacher who was a friend of his came,
He pointed at me and told him,
“You know, she was my best student,
But it turns out that she’s the worst student I have.”

I felt like I was going to die,
How could he say this about me?
Then he let me back inside,
And asked me to stand on the desk in the middle of the class,
Look at my classmates, and hold on to the desk with my hands.
"Yes, Sir!”
I couldn’t tell him no.
Then suddenly he started spanking me,
I didn’t know what spanking was,
In front of the entire class, all 35 students.

I didn’t feel anything.
I didn’t feel the pain.
My classmates started to fade from view.
But I didn’t cry.
At that moment, I wanted to be a boy.
Because I felt that my dignity as a girl was wounded.
If I were a boy, I might have been able to talk back or make trouble.
I wanted retribution.