she almost raised her hand
instead she stares
until he looks away –
he doesn’t need syllables
to translate her eyes.
he thinks about
what he just said
his story, his misery,
his sobriety
his recovery,
his family’s orbital decay -
and then back to her,
asks if she has a question.
I want to leave class.
- why?
right now.
- but why?
I live this,
I don’t need to hear it anymore.
He looks away.
He knows
she’s walking
out the door.
I was teaching this 'drug & alcohol awareness' class at my former HS. In the back of the room sat this girl. If there was a heat detector I'm sure she would've blown the apparatus. She was so angry at me for talking about how families are hurt by alcoholism. I felt guilty bringing it up.
ReplyDelete"they tell me" :
ReplyDelete1.
first you get VERY angry.....
usually aiming all your wrath
at the person/ that teacher/ leader/
the one who is:
"speaking out
telling your family's secrets"
2.
maybe you DO leave the room....
that action is much easier
than staying in your seat...
listening to someone else discuss "your story".
3.
maybe you go home
and write it all down.
hoping it is not true for you.
4
maybe you pray/
to a God,
(you've seen him
in all his glory.)
5
later on in life /
if you are lucky
you find a some poems
....like the ones in this collection
realize you were not alone in that room/
it is okay you walked out back then/
you have come back full circle/
are able to sit & read
*digest the words.
6
jan, this collection is heartbreakingly real
please continue to pass the healing on.
thank you for this amazing work.
mlg