Paying Attention

Eyes glazed
In a daze
She gazes
Outside the classroom window
Where she effortlessly translates
The language of blue jays who explain
The simple science of feathered flight
For her to comprehend
And explore.
Sporadically she drifts back inside
The cinder block prison
With cursive letters in alphabetical order
Making eager eye contact
With the warden
At the chalkboard
Feigning a cursory nod
With her most genuine masquerade
Confident
Of audience approval.
Pen in hand, she doodles maps
In the white spaces of her speckled
Composition book
That lead her to far away forests
Thick with fragrant earth and trees
Sailing ships afloat in mist
Of alluring distant seas
Where her tender heart yearns to be
Creating the illusion
Of copiously copying useless notes
The pointless facts she will memorize with ease
And faithfully regurgitate
Without ever having tasted
Their splendor first
Wearing the uniform of contentment
Like a grandiose costume on stage
Convincing viewers of her character
Suspending disbelief
Like the insect suddenly snatched
In the extravagantly spun web
Outside the window
Where she instantly
Recognizes her reflection.

By Susan Oscilowski
5/14/16