you usually came on stage
during the stillness of “after school”
armed with a wide dust mop
of course, the mop was only a prop,
part of the cover for your main role
as eavesdropper, gathering information
in the nooks and crannies of school life
the bits of gossip you shared with me
were often critical, occasionally mean-spirited,
and I was under the impression
you were just putting in your time,
counting the days before you could retire
so needless to say, I was surprised to hear
you had volunteered to work with a wild-eyed student,
someone most teachers called incorrigible,
and from all reports, things went quite well
for you and Jerry
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
that action seemed so out of character
for a “tedious old fool” like you . . .
I’m wondering if all the negativity and bitterness
was simply part of your ruse, your dodge,
giving you the freedom to respond to circumstances
as you saw fit–in your own way and on your own terms