by Desiree Kannel
My school is surrounded by
razor wire.
Put there to keep dangers out.
Or in?
Teachers lock up, and look suspiciously
At those they are supposed to
inspire, but
hard bigotry tells them:
What’s the use?
No Child Left Behind promises a better future,
But it’s the present that hinders my dreams.
Crimes of the family handicap my fate,
And lock downs, lock outs and razor wire
keep me in my place.
Desiree Kannel is in the MFA Creative Writing program at Antioch University and teaches elementary school in Long Beach, California. She has had a short story published in Enjambed, the new literary journal for California State University, Dominguez Hills.