Ann

This poem is about one of my summer school students who is in her own little world. This poem is my attempt to try and understand her.



They tore you from the crib
And didn't let you bring Teddy.
There wasn't time to cry.

They shoved you out of the frill
And into a brand you couldn't pronounce.
Your cries for clarity ignored
By their blinding smiles.

Is that why you escape t your paper world,
Where infants stumble and search for balance?
Where you control what is set in stone:
What exists for your indefinite pleasure.

That is why their laughs cannot find you-
Why you insist on shutting out the world
Until it agrees with you.

Ann,
I get it now.
You in the harsh light:
A girl reaching,
Feeling
for her lost curls.