I
Didn’t Kick Your Project
Down the Hall
Mr. Shepherd did some cool stuff,
Like playing Elton John’s Your Song,
and having us figure out it was the
eyes that he’d forgotten were green or were blue
You
had to get past his lump—
The egg-like bulge on his forehead
From a car accident, and I think
He was Anti-American.
And
before schools had rules
About such things, he had Bal.
Bal was a Boa Constrictor
(Mr. Shepherd had to explain the Bal-boa thing)
Once
a month we’d feed Bal
a white mouse,
and stand in a crowd around the cage and
watch how slowly something can kill.
And
I liked putting Bal down my shirt
And feel his smooth dry coolness
Especially in language arts.
We
did some neat stuff.
We made longhouses out of toothpicks
And watched the 1972 Canada-Russia game 7
On a black and white television in his room.
And
I didn’t kick your project down the hall
And if I did, I’m sorry.
That’s
when our friendship started
I’m glad our friendship survived 30 years
Past elementary school.
It’s time we did more neat things.