that smell like Walmart.

She packs us school lunches,

rolled-up parathas,

fried aloo kababs,

thermoses of rice

that tease us of home.

Are you being bullied?

No, we say,

because we aren’t.

We smile big,

too-big American smiles,

to reassure her.

But

if she were to ask me

about the man

the man on the bus,

I would have to

say Yes.

The Bus

The bus is a friendly yellow.

On the bus is a man.

The man on the bus is a monitor.

He is almost whole.

He has 2 legs.

2 eyes.

2 feet.

2 ears.

2 nostrils.

1 arm.

1 hand.

Jay

On the bus is Jay.

Jay like the alphabet,

Sandwiched between I and K.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K . . .

Jay has eyes the color

of a swimming pool.

A dangerous one

I wouldn’t want to jump into.

Jay and Cal are a team.

They whisper

to the man on the bus.

Did You Know?

A wedding ring

is worn

on the left hand?

The Incident

Jay and Cal do not whisper

anymore.

Their voices are loud.

Do you wear a wedding ring?

Can you shake hands with your left hand?

Their faces

change.

Their lips

smirk.

Their voices

laugh.

They laugh

All

The

Way

Home.

Mr. Tim,

the bus monitor,

stutters,

face turning red,

and looks out the window.

All

The

Way

Home.

I Wish

My skin stings

hot with anger,

but is too brown

to turn red.

I wish I could say something,

do something,

stop them,

but how?

I just look outside

at the trees.

Silent witnesses.

Just

Like

Me.

Sunday School

Whoever sees evil,

change it with his hand,

and if he is not able to do so,

then change it with his tongue,

and if he is not able to do so,

then with his heart—

and that’s the weakest of faith.

I am the weakest.

Pep Talk

Coffee break! yells

Coach Kelly,

her arms

waving us over

even though

there is no coffee

just puddles

of chlorine water.

By the pool

we huddle

shivery and warm,

warm and shivery.

Don’t forget

be like an octopus!

An octopus is not only quick

in the water.

An octopus is highly

intelligent.

An octopus knows

how to free itself

from difficult situations.

An octopus knows

how to soar

through the water.

I want to be

like an octopus.

Courage

Ms. White

arranges dying flowers in vases

walks around the room

in shoes that make no noise.

Ms. White gives advice as she peeks:

Soften your edges . . .

Notice the angles . . .

You could add more here . . .

Behind me she stops

quiet

pushes her glasses up.

Her mouth lies down in thought.

I think she is surprised by

how I hold my charcoal

easily

how I press down

dark

how shapes and shadows appear

clear

It takes courage to be so

bold.

Nice work.

Time

I hate riding