Educational Services, East Campus, Room 6

A shark with a broken tail

hangs from the ceiling

next to the crab with only one claw.

The students are also broken—

some have twisted bodies

and shuffle sideways

through life's narrow hallways;

others are like the shark

that will bite but cannot swim.

Teachers are torn

like chum in the open sea,

so children can feed.

Some are food for others,
bones discarded, unwanted.

Few survive unscarred.

-

"Educational Services, East Campus, Room 6," along with "Not Quite Emo," is included in Issue 9 (Spring 2014) of Mock Turtle Zine. These constitute my fifth contribution to this local Dayton journal.

My poem "The Little Nun that Could" (which is included in my chapbook The Good Parts (forthcoming from Finishing Line Press)), is in Issue 8 (Fall 2013) and "All of a Sudden, but Not" was published in the Spring 2013 issue (#7).  In addition, "Beware of Poet" and "An Ubi Sunt for the Bees" appeared in the Fall 2012 issue (#6) of Mock Turtle. "An Ubi Sunt for the Bees" was originally included in issue #5.

Issues of Mock Turtle (including issues #5, #6, #7, #8, and #9) can be viewed online.

Eric