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Saturday, November 10, 2007
SEVENTH GRADE
So I'm teaching at this really awesome songwriting retreat in Michigan called Lamb's Retreat. The deal here is that everyone gets an individualized song assignment. Here is mine: You are in middle school. The school you attend teaches abstinence. It is their policy. Your favorite teacher is the science teacher. She is reported for describing methods of contraception to some curious students who only asked about the subject because of television commercials they'd seen. One girl asked about the pill and another girl asked about condoms. The teacher knew she wasn't supposed to talk about these subjects but she did anyway. Someone reported her and she was fired. When you go home from school on the day you find out that your favorite teacher was fired, your mom notices that you've been crying. She ask what's the matter and you can't tell her. She keeps asking but you can't speak and you can't make up another reason for your tears. You're not sure what's happening but you are afraid that if you get your mom talking about sex something bad might happen to her. Can I just say, HOLY CRAP! After a night of self torture and agony, this is what I came up with... Seventh Grade If i went back to seventh grade before all my mistakes were made to soccer games and innocence and jimmy carter was the president dingo boots and wolfman jack bonne bell and gunne sax and love notes that i never sent to my track coach cause running was romantic if i went back to jr high before my secrets made me cry to happy days, laverne & shirley when all the boys were way too squirrely and the book i found up on mama's shelf upside down so i stole it for myself and read it locked behind the bathroom door everything i ever wanted to know about sex and more if i went back i wouldn't be so afraid to ask my mom about mistakes she made hungry for her history when she was just a girl like me i'd ask her did she go too far in the backseat of her boyfriends's car i'd ask her did she ache for love inside disguises she wasn't proud of i'd ask her did she take the blame i'd ask her did she feel the shame i'd ask her did she learn to stand outside the shadow of a man i'd ask her things i hope to say before my daughters walk away before my prayers have all been prayed before they hit the halls of seventh grade posted by Cary Cooper @ 10:16 AM 0 Comments: |
