trout

and-yellow

Sonja Yelich

you realise there is no hope
left for teachers when in the
school newsletter it says
we welcome nichola poor
& look forward to working her.
you want there to be no more bell.
you begin to wish for pills for
your children instead of
lunch from a plastic décor box.
you wonder why their paintings
contain less & less
you begin to sound things out
stretching the oh's ~
vowels start to look like
phone numbers
3 o'clock looks like a wedge of cake
you are rushing to finish
oh there you are tui
by dinah hawken
& then you hear
ella say:
and-yellow and-yellow and jello
angelo.
& he is
our number 4.