121915  121924

Leaving Springfield for Columbus
leaving poor kids with knives in pockets for fights 
and with broken shoes without socks
from Hayward to Yorktown Junior High
white kids in the halls
at their lockers some sips of alcohol
an English teacher who filled out a skirt
an ordinary English spelling test
a surprise call home for a parent teacher conference
allegations of looking at my neighbor’s desk 
nor did I cheat algebra which was impossible to understand
having skipped factoring
in the move from Hayward to Yorktown Junior High.