Catalyst

They travel through
the arteries of the building
laughing with friends,
cradling health class borg babies
Averting their eyes
acne incognito
avoiding faculty
or some guy they owe cash
And I, too scared to find out why

Each one a potential
Shakespeare, Picasso,
Godel, Bach,
library technician
wizard mathematician
potential psycho
terrorist racist sexist desperate

time bomb

And we, those gleaming examples
in our world of professional development
attendance staff ski trips
who forgot to fill the toner.
Demand that they look us in the eye
when we speak at them.
Suspecting a disease,
some spontaneous contagion of will,
rarely stopping to lend a hand
but to nip a bud . . .
For once they pop
they can't stop smokin' jokin' screamin'

dreamin'

What had his day been
before my brief cameo?
Who had demanded
the attention of those eyes
and pried and poked
with a thousand whys?

Those eyes came up,
pride, success
but he wasn't next
on the almighty list.
Life blood of this place
unthinkingly dismissed.
The flame jumped
from his eyes to his hands.
The lighter's presence
not even disguised.
748 words burning his glory,
searing my shame,
heat satisfying

cruel

Looking back I must ask myself
was I the victim or was I the fuel?