First Grade
By Ron Koertge
Until then, every forest
had wolves in it, we thought
it would be fun to wear snowshoes
all the time, and we could talk to water.
So who is this woman with the gray
breath calling out names and pointing
to the little desks we will occupy
for the rest of our lives?
Copyright Credit: Poem copyright ©2008 by Ron Koertge, whose most recent book of poems is Fever, Red Hen Press, 2006. Reprinted by permission of Ron Koertge.