The classroom was silent,
Not a peep could be heard.
The thirty young pupils,
Not saying a word,
Were waiting in stillness
For first grade to start;
Their brains would be tested
To bring out the smart.
The teacher spoke kindly
And welcomed them there
To the first day of class
As she brushed back her hair
And smiled at her students.
"Hello, my new pupils!
I hope you'll enjoy
Our first little lesson,
My girls and boys.
"Let's start by reviewing
The alphabet, please."
The students all groaned.
They all knew A through Z.
Such lessons were stupid,
Not needed, insane;
The teacher ignored them.
"Let's start on our game.
Nate, will you give us
An 'A' word to start?"
The boy sighed impatiently.
"Fine," he said. "Art."
Rachel said "Bumblebee,"
Joe mumbled "Creek,"
Henry said "Doughnut,"
Laura squealed "Eek!"
Fantasy, Gremlin,
Houses and Ice.
The teacher was smiling.
"Your words are all nice,
But I'm looking for something
A bit more unique.
Can you do any better?
Like 'juicy' or 'kink'?"
Her eyes swept the classroom.
"Who'll give me a word?"
The students were silent;
Not a voice could be heard.
Then a quiet young lad
Raised his hand although shy:
"M is for MegaMan,"
Came the reply.
The teacher exploded.
"No, no! Not like that!
Not blue 8-bit ciphers!
Not blue robot hats!
I'm looking for greatness,
For something that's special!
Heroics and courage,
Battlefront mettle!
Classic Greek epics,
Shakespearean plays,
Old myths and legends
Of great Roman days!
Don't give me nonsense
Like MegaMan, David.
Such stuff is brain-hurting –
It makes gamers rabid!"
"I must disagree, ma'am,"
Said David politely,
"For MegaMan's all
That you've asked for so nicely.
His deeds are heroic,
His justice is strong.
He fights for the right
And destroys all that's wrong.
He's classic, he's epic,
He's well worth your time;
He's drama, he's legend,
He's simply divine.
I can't find a flaw
In my faithful blue friend –
So, ma'am, please stop shouting.
Your insults must end."
The teacher was startled
At David's long speech.
His word choice was stunning,
His delivery sweet,
His diction past reach
For the average first-grader.
So much for her rant
About brain-damaged gamers.
This kid was unreal!
"Excuse me, young man;
You obviously feel
For the topic at hand.
Though I may have been wrong
On some parts of that speech,
This subject is one
Clearly out of your reach.
"While MegaMan's great
For innocuous play,
He's not beneficial,
Despite what you say.
He's a great waste of time
And an epic grade-dropper.
The legend about him
Is a mere learning-stopper.
I've had many gamers
In class through the years,
And those who like MegaMan
Drop past their peers.
I cannot allow you
To support MegaMan
In front of your classmates.
Now please sit – don't stand!"
"I can't, ma'am," said David,
Still up on his feet.
"I must defend Mega.
I will not retreat.
I really don't care
What you do or don't say;
My blue friend is special
To me every day."
The teacher's grip tightened
On the edge of her desk.
She was losing her patience
With this impudent pest.
"I'll have you know, David,
That MegaMan's wrong.
He's all about blasting!
He shoots all day long!
World peace is our hope, boy!
How can we have it
With people like you
In the MegaMan habit?!"
David stood firm.
"You're wrong on that, ma'am.
My friend fights for peace
In every dark land.
There are those who oppose peace –
The criminal class;
They're constantly fighting
To bring evil to pass.
To keep peace is difficult –
It doesn't stay perfect.
We who are decent
Must fight to preserve it.
So despite all the critics,
This statement holds true:
'M' is for MegaMan,
The robot in blue."