Students come dressed as pirates,
vampires, princesses, bumble bees, and hobos.
Those that come dressed as a Playboy bunny
or in a skimpy French maid costume
get sent to the office, so the vice-principal
can call the parents to either pick up their child
or bring normal clothing.
A few ask me why I didn’t dress up.
I tell them I am their teacher’s evil twin.
Your teacher is at home sleeping in,
and then he’s going to catch up
on grading papers.
A boy in the back row
leans over to his friend
and says earnestly,
“I didn’t know teacher had a twin.”
A majority of my students
get the joke, but a few
keep a close eye on my every move,
watching for clues—
wondering if it’s true.
Mark Thalman is the author of The Peasant Dance, Catching the Limit, and Stronger Than the Current. Thalman received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon, then taught English and Creative Writing in the public schools for 35 years.
