Grade Eight

Confession: I volunteered. Since, I’ve purposefully omitted

‘library monitor’ from my C.V. But why disavow?

We didn’t play rugby. It was a way to delay marching

back to our boring homes, four best friends

unaware of our outcast status, charging returned

or demagnetizing books to be borrowed, we’d play

games with the security system: how to sound the alarm

and turn it off quickly, shelving races, book carts dodge-‘em.

We drowned willingly in words, quiet and so much order.

Once, after the rest had left, I found a book about gay teenagers.

I never read it, was simply happy it was on the shelf.