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September sharpness in the air
summer's end
hurricane season and
la rentrée scolaire
boxy yellow buses
red lights flashing
block traffic flow
kid faces pressed against glass
their paperbag lunches
stinking of tunafish and egg salad;
the time of year
I feel the truant
my thoughts turn rebellious
my body aches
to break out
of life's schoolyard fence
soul fills with wanderlust
and the world is a whirlwind
carrying particles of freedom
a scent that were I not feeling
so penned-in
like soon-to-be table meat
I would collect in myself
breathe in and sing out
delight in and run with
call to anyone with ears
inclined to hear it:
Damn your policy
and forced education
I live for truth!
A recent NYT opinion article (dated Sept 3rd) asked the question, "What is school for?" and came up with some interesting answers. Although seen by some as a waste of time and a waste of money, others see school as a source of hope for immigrant children, as a place to learn to read, as a way to connect to nature (which is ironic because when I read your poem I thought of Wordsworth's poem "The Tables Turned," in which he rejects book-learning for the more meaningful experience of connecting to Nature), as a place to learn about caring and how to become a good citizen, and as a vehicle for upward mobility. In my Jewish upbringing, truancy was a dirty word, almost like being a gangster. But as an older person I can definitely relate to the idea of being a truant, of breaking free from the societal norms and expectations, or at the very least fantasizing about it. Anyway, I think your poem does a good job of evoking that feeling of wanting to raise one's middle finger to the establishment. There's a spirit of rebelliousness in this poem! So, bravo! And it contains some nice images and turns of phrase. "boxy yellow buses" "their paperbag lunches/stinking of tunafish and egg salad" "break out/of life's schoolyard fence" "carrying particles of freedom" "soon-to-be table meat" ... those are some beauts! Rock on, bro!
ReplyDeleteI must say I didn't know that Wordsworth poem and looked it up. Thank you for drawing my attention to it. What a wonderful poem. Yes, it does have a similar spirit. I bet there are plenty more - so now you`ve got me on a treasure hunt to find them.
ReplyDeleteGlad I could turn you on to some Wordsworth! ; )
ReplyDeleteI think there are tons of poems with a rebellious spirit, but I can't think of another poem that lauds truancy! You might have actually broken new ground with your poem!
After writing this, I googled "poems about truancy" and there are actually a few out there (but not many!). Here's one that I liked which resonates with your poem ... I really like the last line!
Truant
BY MARGARET HASSE
Our high school principal wagged his finger
over two manila folders
lying on his desk, labeled with our names—
my boyfriend and me—
called to his office for skipping school.
The day before, we ditched Latin and world history
to chase shadows of clouds on a motorcycle.
We roared down rolling asphalt roads
through the Missouri River bottoms
beyond town, our heads emptied
of review tests and future plans.
We stopped on a dirt lane to hear
a meadowlark’s liquid song, smell
heart-break blossom of wild plum.
Beyond leaning fence posts and barbwire,
a tractor drew straight lines across the field
unfurling its cape of blackbirds.
Now forty years after that geography lesson
in spring, I remember the principal’s words.
How right he was in saying:
This will be part of
your permanent record.
Ha! Clever ending. Poignant. Now that you've got me thinking (what else is new) there are plenty of truants in literature and art: Artful Dodger (and his gang), Tom Sawyer, Holden Caulfield and my personal favourite Ferris Bueller, immediately come to mind. So why not more poems about truants?
ReplyDelete