I used to fight at recess,
trading whopping thumps
and wild taunts
with almost anyone
who dared to snag my anger.
Except on days when
placed upon a slippy wooden chair
I’d listen to the principal plead
that surely I did not prefer
to spend recess in the office.
At those times I’d sit encased
in forged defiance,
scowling at my bitten nails,
Too cagey by far to tell her
that yes in fact
I did.
– Joan Newton
