Prince of the Private School

Here's a link to my YouTube channel where I read my poetry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-j1YkEdWQs

My 10th grade year,
Dad put my brother,
Tobin and I in a 
private school in 
Camarillo California. 
 
Mom sent us 
to live with him after 
we traded our 
education, back in 
Des Moines, for weed and 
sitting around 
listening to Led 
Zeppelin records in the 
basement. 
We had it all figured out. 
 
Before we started
a day of class, we 
went on a week-long 
skiing trip to 

Sequoia National Park. 
I loved that school. 
A passion grew in 
me for literature,
Melville and Dickens,
Dylan Thomas and the 
rest of the greats visited 
me in my dreams. 
They were good, gentle 
nights back then.

I wrote a paper on 
Billy Budd, and received a C 
for my weak effort. 
Dad explained aspects of 
the story: 
plot 
theme 
antagonist 
protagonist 
and tragic character flaws. 
I didn’t get a C again on 
anything to do with 
literature. 
I was still inept 
with the numbers game. 
Math didn’t hold my 
Interest. 
It dog-paddled, then drowned in 
my budding poet brain. 
 
I had a gorgeous Dutch 
Girlfriend, Van Vleck or 
Van something or other. 
I acted in the play,
and started at small 
forward on the 
basketball team. 
I even got into a 
fight with a kid for 
telling the principal that 
he sold me a little weed. 
I was suspended for a week,
but Dad didn’t seem to 
mind that much. 

He gave me a copy of 
Don Quixote, and told 
me to write an essay a day. 
Back then, I was 

prince of the private school. 
I started to care about 
learning. 
The teachers taught with 
zeal and zest. 
The lust for literature was 
born in me 
beneath that smiling 
West Coast sunshine, and 
melancholy California fog.

Author's Note

www.thomaswcase.com my website.
Here's a link to my new book on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Its-Just-Skip-Jump-Madhouse/dp/B0DY4XDQYC/ref=

Reviews

[red93]

Fabulous Thomas what a cherished memory. You can't beat these Private Schools when it comes to Teaching Literature ! Our English Masters @ Clifton were all Oxbridge Graduates, and if they didn't get 20 Students a year into Oxford or Cambridge, it was a bad year ! I Loved this Piece, Really Excellent ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you, my friend. I appreciate it.

[Poetic Beauty]

This is an amazing story in your life and finding the life be for literature and writing. It sounds like it was an amazing time in your life.

[Thomas W Case]

It was. Good times. Thanks.

[Poetic Beauty]

I like reading stories of happy times in people’s lives. I’m a curious person by nature

[Dylan Macadham]

I relished reading this long inspiring bio-story-poem, wishing at the end it was even longer!
Kudos Thomas!

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you. Much appreciated.