day SEVEN HUNDRED and TWENTY FOUR

The Mind

i

I waited my turn

on the playground,

he elbowed in front of me,

said, I’ll show you how it’s done—

I settled into

my schoolwork,

he shoved me aside,

said, I’ll be first—

I picked up my books,

he stepped in front of me,

said, You’re in the big leagues now

and you don’t have what it takes—

I knew from the beginning

that they looked at us

as though we didn’t have

a mind

ii

good thing I never

believed them

 - Rachel Toalson