There was no warning!

“What’s it like to have sex with an Elephant?”
the adolescent boy asked.

That’s what the 'devil' said
In an English class with
Thirty-four students.

His face was pale and bloated,
Old and mindless at the same time
But very much in charge of chaos.

What’s a teacher to do
While teaching how to use commas?

To grasp at a slippery solution
Was an extra hour’s work,
Writing the referral and making
The phone call.

The parent said, “My son has no problems
With his other teachers
So what are you doing wrong?
He said you’re mean to him!”

When I called this devil’s other teachers
And looked at the comments
In the boy’s permanent file,
The truth came out.

The mother lied.

Administration moved him anyway
To terrorize another teacher
That didn’t write referrals
Or make phone calls.

With this ‘devil’ it was a game
Called musical classrooms.

It was his avocation.

Who said ‘kids’ are innocent?

Evil roots at an early age.
It doesn’t appear like magic
At eighteen.