Ides of March

March 15th arrives every year and reminds me of 6th grade.

Why?

This is one of those silly things that no one knows about me. I could use it when I'm forced into one of those ice-breaker exercises at a party or a day long meeting. You know the kind. "Tell us something that no one here knows about you."

In sixth grade, so that was in 1972 or so, I was in my first year attending school in Decorah. So I was a "new kid." My class was studying ancient Rome, or something, so my teacher had us stage a few scenes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In that play, if you didn't know, Julius is warned to "Beware the ides of March." The "ides of March" is the 15th day, and it was a prophecy that Caesar would be killed on that day.

I was chosen {or maybe I volunteered -- I can't remember -- it's hard to imagine that I would have felt comfortable, being new, in offering myself up for this, but I can be pretty overconfident at times, and I did like impressing teachers now and then} to play Marc Antony. I remember getting to learn the famous speech:

"Friends, Romans, countrymen -- lend me your ears."

If I remember correctly, Julius Caesar was not one of the plays we read in my college Shakespeare class. Someday I should go back and read it, in full.

Oh, it would be fun to end this little reminiscence by saying that something really dramatic happened as a result of my part in this classroom play. Perhaps I earned the respect of my peers? Perhaps I was beaten up by the bullies who hated new kids and hated smart kids?

I don't think either of those happened though.

I just remember the famous line. And wearing a bed sheet as a toga. [far off grin]