Good Reader by Kitty NessThe teacher was sorting us out
into reading groups
I don't know if anybody else
in that papercut kindergarten class knew,
But I did
She was grouping us by ability,
by slowest, normal, best
We took tests on starchy lined paper
She looked them over with her red pen
I waited for my name
My desk was peeling
the plastic finish covered in the glue dollops
that I liked to pick
during boring moments
Blue, green, white
Each reading group had a color
I knew the dirty, slow kids
the happy, medium kids
and the quiet best kids
But where did I fit in?
The old apple-faced teacher
called out my name
"white!" and I walked over
swung between two short plastic chairs
01/24/2005 Posted on 01/25/2005 Copyright © 2025 Kitty Ness
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