Just when you think I’m not listening

Just when you think I have zoned –

The pencil that’s shedding its lead on my paper has made a world of its own.

I’m hearing your words, I’m just translating…

Translating words into thoughts into motion

Into pencil lines,

into subconscious devotion.

You see my head down…perhaps you assume that I am inattentive.

Little do you know that I am listening, listening with my lead;

I need this pencil to guide me into your words.

(I need this creation to tell me what they mean.)

Just when you walk the class perimeter,

And you see stars and aliens

Sketches of intricate eyes, things seen in dreams

You might wonder, “How does this relate to our class?”

But alas –

It’s my way of interpreting the lesson
into a beautiful masterpiece

That I can admire upon my bedroom wall

…and the class that I can vividly recall.