Beloved Teacher
What color were her heels that day?
I loved my first grade teacher until that day.
I played the gutters in the rain
& splashed & delighted
in water flowing downhill
in spurts & jumps above curb
& finished splashing
& headed to school
where I found an all so quiet empty playground
& all the class doors closed.
I turned the knob to my room
& it was unlocked, so
I eased into the cloak room
only to hear my beloved teacher call out
“Jim! You are late!”
& the whole class turned & stared at me
& I saw only red
& kicked all of their boots over
& pulled some of their coats on to the floor
& then my beloved in heels
marched me back out the door
to my 1st visit to the principal’s office in first grade
What color were her heels that day?
A vivid - poignant and powerful portrayal of betrayal and the beginning of a poet :)
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