The 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
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