We make our way from box to box trying to find security in logic

A melange of fashionable English words lays itself out bare before our eyes

The idea that school will always be in fashion is sad

The monkey will study hard to remain in school with the other children

Each box depicts an activity, animal, gesture, or a job in society

Each box a miniature portal to some place in Japan

Where bears don’t look like bears and bees don’t have stingers

It is important to remember that writing will always be in fashion

Even for the poet who never washes her hair or trims her nails

Refreshments will be provided upon acceptance to the school

Snow days and stars will be provided too

The arrangement of the fish in the sea mimic the arrangement of the stars in the sky

The stars in the sky bring the animals groveling to my door

Wolf, pig, rat, horse, crab, dog, and snake

A different animal behind every door

Chicken, goat, wild hog, and deer

The physician studies each animal before placing it into a box for observational purposes

The cross child is forced to sit down to practice penmanship as punishment for positioning his legs in the letter W

Sitting in the shape of a W weakens the child’s core muscles

The physician reminds us that all decisions around health should be made in deference to the core muscles

So as not to be permanently damaged by the sun

I take my blank book and ride my unlucky blue horse towards the creek

At dusk I recline like a cow in a meadow right before a rainstorm

My hips relax and open wider than ever before in order to receive the wisdom of the sun

I transform into the perfect housewife and create the perfect child under the mega sign of fashion

I carry forth my wisdom in a box full of crickets