Working Class French

Average high school Namesake A mediocre President Imposing square box Towering over small frame homes Where Mothers wait behind closed doors And Fathers return at dusk Newspapers tucked under In different signs and languages Sport side up In blue collar tradition. French teacher listens Eyes shifting from side to side As we read In our best French accent Copied from movies And old TV shows. The Staff whisper Lips hidden Behind pieces of paper To keep us from knowing Secrets But we know The score Girls to be Secretaries Boys to be workingmen And babies at eighteen. School's out A fight's on Huge crowd Forms a circle To cheer their side Smaller kid Is a fighter Crowd whistles in respect. Police arrive Clubs in hand Go home they order One by one We drift away Scattered by an ill wind Searching for a place to call home. Years go by We learn to bend We survived And never spoke French.