THE LESSON

When Denis pulled the lever on the firebox in front of the school

on a Saturday afternoon, and we hid in the bushes up the street

watching the firemen get out of the truck, look around the front

of the school, and then get back into the truck and drive away,

I didn’t know that I was going to get around a dozen mosquito bites

on my face and arms, to which my mother responded, “Didn’t you see

the mosquitos around where you were playing?” and to which my father

admonished, “Hopefully you’ve learned a good lesson from this!

Now hold still while your mother dabs on the calamine…”