by Lauren Haynes
The Capitol was breached while I
taught preteens the art of
language, to bend and
provoke, to
evade and
slice.
The order of a sentence and its
implications. The difference between
“The letter was mailed to me by my grandparents.” and
“My grandparents mailed the letter to me.”
Inconsequential until remote learning tabs to
the real world.
Miss, they say,
the offices of high-ranking members
of Congress were entered.
Miss, they say,
the American flag was removed and replaced:
MAKE AMERICA AGAIN.
A bomb was planted.
A coup was staged.
Where is the subject?
Miss, they say,
Who is doing the action?
Lauren Haynes holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Western Kentucky University and has been an English teacher for years.