Get As
get Bs
get Ds
and Fs
but don't
come home
with no Cs
or I'll whip
you good
I told my
six year-old
as I reached
across her and
popped the door,
watched her scrawny
figure struggle under
book-bag for a distance
then flicked my cigarette
at the back of her legs—
‘Cause we ain't average!
I hollered out the window
and she took off running
as I eased on down the
street tossing empties
at the sky.
home truth
by Matt Dennison
28