Day 553

Once — not that long
ago, before everything
happened — you dreamed
of being a teacher.  You had teachers
you loved.  They encouraged you.
You listened, when they taught,
for the ways they explained
things:  this is the subject,
this, the predicate.  This
is the object. (The occupation forces
bombed the city)  You told yourself
you’d learn to explain
like that (passive tense: the teacher
was assassinated): clearly,
step by step.  You vowed
you’d speak gently
to your students, yet require
much.  You listened
to what your friends
said about teachers
they liked (the sniper
shot the child — prepositional
phrase — in the head), promised yourself
you’d do it well.  Subject
predicate object:  The bomb
obliterated the school. The teacher
taught his final class.