Class is in Session

{What would I teach a girl were the world my classroom? Simple.} I would teach her the difference Between love and lust Because failure to know this Leaves you lying in the dust And I would teach her to always carry an umbrella To shield her for the downpour that is her tears So that her heart won’t rust. Unless, of course, she’s in the shower, Washing away the filth and self-pity She feels when the harsh realities of the world Won’t let her down easy – Easy. Easy is what I’ll teach her to say, When God presents her with her next obstacle of the day In the game of life, And pray. “Pray,” I’ll tell her, “for anything your little heart desires.” And I’ll pray that her ambitions never retire, To that dark, compact, box-shaped yet abstract, Corner in her mind that whispers, “It’s co-----ming…….” Yes, disappointment is coming my sweet. But I’ll teach her to never look down at her feet Because if she does, she’ll miss the Treasures of life race by, and her chance to grab and tug At the ‘limitless-ness’ of the sky. And I’ll teach her to count to three, but of course, So that she’ll know how many strikes her loser boyfriend gets Before he’s out – Out of my darling’s life because he doesn’t deserve her. Not her tears Or her smiles, And I’ll charge him for the time He wasted in both of our lives. I’ll teach her how to read and to plant seeds in a garden, So she’ll grow into a bookworm with erudite jargon. I’ll teach her to always carry a stool, So she’ll be ready to step up to the challenges Of peer-pressure in school, Of sexism at work, Or being called a dork, Because she’s more motivated by the capacities of the human mind Than the assortments of lip gloss of any fleeting kind. I’ll teach her to never bend her knees, So that she won’t fall to oppression By racism Or frenemies. I’ll teach her to never relinquish her freedom Or her thirst for wisdom for a man. Unless of course he knows God And is desperate to know how to love her the only way God can. I’ll teach her to sculpt, So she can always carve out a solution To life’s disposition, And draw. “Draw,” I’ll tell her; “so that you’ll be able to see your dreams and reality On a canvas, and you’ll be able to paint a bridge across the cosmos And reach that wonderland. And if you ever need me, I’ll be up here by the blackboard, Awaiting you in the classroom. Your mentor Your mother Your friend. Class is always in session for you, my dear.”