Lisa shows up a half hour
before the first bell. She has
that “going to the dentist”
look on her face
like an actor who wishes
they weren’t in this play.
I try to put her at ease,
“What can I do for you?”
Lisa tells me she’s worried
about the school rule that limits
the number of restroom passes
to a dozen every semester.
She pauses, then gives me the news,
she has been diagnosed
with Crohn’s Disease.
That’s when I tell her
what I’ve never told a student before,
“I have Crohn’s Disease, too—
ever since I was ten.”
Don’t worry about the limit on passes.
No one needs to know. All you have to do
is get my attention and pull on your ear lobe.
