Centers
The Successful Navigation of Pre-K
It is never advisable to
put the dinosaurs
in the pen
with the goats
I try explaining this to
Nora, her hazel eyes wide
dark hair streaming
shoes gleaming, equipped with flashing lights too
her small form contained
in a pink princess shirt
No! she says
They go in there!
I ponder T-Rex
he looks, well, he looks like
blue plastic
the Velociraptor is green
Sure, they appear
immobilized
but they’re not fooling me
“Run!” I say to the plastic goats
thinking I’ll take my index finger
knock down their fence
but Nora has turned into
the Dictator of Pre-K
ruling with an iron hand
of little pink painted nails
She quickly uprights
my failed gate to freedom
sentencing the goats
to the whims
of hungry carnivores
but I’m not having it
I pick my goat-loving feet up
and storm away
to infringe upon
a game of blocks
in another center.
