What you do is send your soul off to school.

You know the day will come. You dread it in a way,

selfishly wanting the child to stay at home, but you know

there comes a time. So all neatly dressed and ready as

you’ll ever be, shoes without a scuff, Big Chief pad,

two pencils and a pink eraser, clutch of coins

for lunch or sandwich in a bag and off you go.

What you do is learn. It doesn’t matter what, but learn

some subject other than yourself so fine and heretofore

unknown you fall in love with learning

and the subject grows within your soul until

you’re filled almost to the top and overflow.

Then your soul comes back to you

with a report card you’ll have to sign

and homework and questions you can’t

answer and you will be so proud,

because your soul is becoming educated

and passing where you failed.

#