A Failure to Fail
Examination
Being scrutinized
It has been hard
Living a life
Of being told
Not to be me
So, since that
was not possible
I had to design an exterior
A mask
I’m not really as competent as I seem
As though my competency
were the loose edge of a carpet
threatening to trip you
So in passing the examination with flying colors
I fail
I remember being scolded for learning to ride a bicycle faster than my brother,
Geoffrey
And being told over and over again
Not to know more than my brothers
Not to show them up in any way
My mother gave me a feast-full of lobsters when I graduated from college
I am allergic to lobster
I will die if I eat
Too much
An accumulative poisoning
One that doesn’t go away between mouthfuls
The lobsters were for my brother
Why didn’t you mention him when you were on stage?
They asked
I helped cook the festival feast
The lobsters
I served them
And watched them being eaten
I succeeded in graduating from college
But failed to find a place at the table
In my glory
comes the reflection
of nothing
I am
Yes!
And so,
Because I am
I am not