Harry the Hippo was a circus fave
For 15 years on the center stage.
He delighted kids young and old
Balancing ***** on his oversized nose.

Year after year
Show after show
Harry delighted
with his big, whopping nose.

No one under the big top
could have guessed
What horrible thing
Would happen next

From the front of crowd,
in a colorful seat,
A blond haired boy
tossed Harry a treat

Harry chomped it down
and continued his act,
Then
Suddenly
Harry stopped,
And fell flat on his back

Harry rolled right
Harry rolled left
then
Harry died a
Painful...
choking...
death

The Ringleader called for the hippo doc
Who told him that Harry died from
Anaphyalactic  shock
Brought on by a child’s
Peanut lollipop

You’re stupid
All the sudden
you axe questions
about places you have went too

All the sudden
You don’t know nothin’
About places you have went too
Exasperating everything

You don’t know nothin’
About nothin’
Exasperating everything
Exspecially me.

About Nothin’
You axe questions
Exspecially me
You’re stupid.

He entered our classroom
Quietly
Something in his hand

A slip of paper
Assigning him
to English 11b

English words
Thick in his mouth
He whispered his name,
Jaime Chavez

Jimmy Changa!
someone mocked,
Had one of them for supper
Nice to know you burrito boy.

Jaime Chavez smiled,
And remembered.

He entered our classroom
Quietly
Something in his hand

A book
Shakespeare
Carefully noted
In Spanish and English

Jimmy Changa
Someone mocked
Whatcha got there?
A book?
You don’t need them to cut my lawn.

Jaime Chavez smiled,
And remembered

He entered our classroom
Quietly
Something in his hand

An award
Superior achievement
English 11b

Jimmy Changa
Someone mocked
You didn’t earn that,
*******, ******, ****

Jaime Chavez smiled
And remembered.

He entered our classroom
Quietly
Something in his hand

Full scholarship
Princeton University
In English Literature

And something else

A bumper sticker
"God Bless America,"

Which he carefully
tacked to the bulletin board

My name is not Jimmy Changa.

My name, is Jaime Chavez

And he smiled.

Her hands are neither soft
nor attractive.
They are a white fish belly from too
little time in the sun.
Her nails are stubby and unadorned.
Her fingers are tentacles projecting
unnaturally from undersized palms,
tips rough and calloused.

I must stare
I cannot help myself

Then it begins.
The movement.
The tentacles scamper here and there.
They reach
They touch
They pound and poke
and stretch and crawl
and in their grotesque fury
teach me to love.

Mozart and Chopin
Prokofiev and Bach

The piano is a time machine
transforming the tiny practice room
into the mighty concert halls
of Vienna and Prague.

From the gallery I am
entranced by rhapsodies
seduced by nocturnes
and consumed by symphonies.

I murmur,
does the music stir your soul?

She glances up
briefly
and returns to work.

Smile, Dear Child, smile
Our tears will be gone -
In a while.

Dieu a appelé ton nom
Et les anges t'apportent au Ciel
Ton étoile brillera toujours
Il donne espoir aux rêveurs,
Il nous rappel de ton amour.

Requiem eternam dona ei
Et lux perpetua luceat ei
We will always, always love you,
our dear, sweet Carrie.

Two thousand hearts
supported you

Two thousand hearts
prayed for you

Two thousand hearts
wept for you

Now, two thousand hearts
look toward Heaven
and hope you're looking back

I left to find God
Instead I found you
Does Satan prove God?