Velcro Tape

Zimmer In Grade School

In grade school i wondered
Why i had been born
To wrestle in the ashy puddles,
With my square nose
Streaming mucus and blood.
My knuckles puffed from combat
And the old nun's ruler,
I feared everything: God,
Learning and my schoolmates.
I could not count, spell or read.
My report card proclaimed
These scarlet failures.
My parents wrang their loving hands.
My guardian angel wept constantly.

But i could never hide anything.
If i peed my pants in class
The puddle was always quickely evident.
My worst mistakes were at
The blackboard for Jesus and all
The saints to see.
Even now
When i hide behind an elaborate mask
It is always known and i am Zimmer,
The one who does the messy papers
And fractures all his crayons,
Who spits upon the radiators
And sits all day in shame
Outside the office of the Principal.