Things She Doesn’t Want to Know

Annabelle

My mom says:

Why don’t you hang out

with Stacey anymore?

You used to be over there all the time

and now, nothing. Has something happened

that you’re not telling me about?

She thinks I put Stacey off by telling her

things she doesn’t want to know

about the clothes she wears.

As if I would.

I don’t even speak to Stacey anymore,

but I can’t help it if she reads our posters.

It’s the type of info my mother thinks

I should keep to myself because

it won’t win me any friends.

My mom says Mr. Dawe is a leftover hippie.

She can tell by the fluff between his toes

that he shows off in Birkenstocks, and

by his shirts that never smell clean

but are rumpled and musty.

She says he shouldn’t encourage us to protest

like that in public, that it might harm

our image, prevent us from

getting summer jobs.

I say some things are more important

than money.

The school agrees with my mom

and they’ve told Mr. Dawe not to

take us off school property,

as if we belong to the school, like

the gym mats or desks.

Don’t they know we have

our own free will?

Sure, Mr. Dawe led us there, but now

we are ready to go ahead,

even without him.