It may be the fact that she’s too fat

Or the fact that she’s divorced

Or the fact that her daughters aren’t brainiacs

Like her

Or the fact that I’m not a genius like

My classmate-

Her Favorite Student,

The Genius of All Geniuses

(Asian but not stereotypically so);

But either way,

Anger empowers her and suddenly she’s screaming.

 

Don’t ever tell her

“I don’t understand”

Don’t dare raise your hand

To ask a stupid question-

Any question for that matter!

 

Don’t you dare inquire

‘Bout what the hell she’s saying

And for God’s sake

Bow down and subjugate yourself

To her necessity

Of you being Finally Smart.

 

Sure we were all born different,

But who the hell cares?

Nobody does and least of all her.

Be perfect and orderly

And smart and sharp-minded.

Imperfection has no place

In that damnable classroom of hers!

And God forbid that you

Ever show doubt/uncertainty/confusion

Or hell will be forced down

On your not-smart-enough pea brain

That pathetically scrambles

To understand what the hell

Xs and As have to do with math.

 

“ But I don’t understand.” –

It was the only thing you said,

The only thing I dared to say,

As the pins of Brave Idiocy

Overrode your previously owned

 Smart Survival Need.

And you, horror-stricken,

Witnessed the monster

Transform before your eyes

As her eyes became redder

And her face became redder

And her eyes grew sharper

And shrewder with evil

And her mouth pulsated

With red-hot lava

As she unleashed the earthquake of

Insults and biting sarcasm.

 

And you had to watch the whole classroom

Snicker in contempt

Cowards who mocked the courage

You had to

Stand up and ASK;

As they swam in their stubborn

Preference of Ignorance

And left you to deal with

The Teacher alone.

The monster who made

Learning an epidemic

You  craved to:

Annihilate.

Decimate.

Exterminate.

Eradicate.