let me alone in the classroom
where i paper the walls in sugar paper
of soft pastel shades with soft names
that tear easily like flower petals
across the floor

an intruder
a boy
in the same uniform as i
holds me close
and tells me the things i am going to do
and shows me how to do them
as i shake my head
and shrivel up
and understand how a healthy girl can die
as i crawl
as a victim
for a crevice
of escape