Professor
A four year old girl is in Intro to Lit,
sitting next to her mother, writing
on lined paper. She has flashcards
with letters, upper and lower case,
before her. I ask if she can manage
a sentence. She says, No, but can
write her name. I say, Write it, then
raise your hand when you’re done.
Her shaky name is ok, but the closing
letter dies, so I tell her to redo it all.
The students think I go too far.
The girl gets on her paper, raises
her hand, and there’s something
to praise, so I praise. The girl smiles,
and I want us all to be her, making
everything better, even me.
Jared Pearce‘s collection, The Annotated Murder of One, was released by Aubade last year (www.aubadepublishing.com/
