Ms. LoFaso,
short black wig-like hair
which we were tempted to pull 
off her pallid skin
big black golf balls for eyes 
peering at us from her desk
where she sought refuge
from our tormenting curses
and hounding questions
of past lives 
already forgotten to her
for reasons unknown 
which intrigued us all
	chairs flew at her
	hitting the blackboard 
	(which looked green)
	with a loud thump
scissors would mysteriously fall
through the open back window 
in our third floor room
barely missing 
an innocent second grader's head
	unmarked tests flew
	through the same window 
	floating softly from side to side
	letting the wind carry them off
	to a gutter on the curb
	forever out of sight
she had a fetish
with the other side
we read Edgar Allen Poe 
getting nightmares
about decapitated bodies 
blood dripping out
stuffed up chimneys
which I'll never forget
	we learned of rape
	"carnal knowledge of a female 
	without consent"
	from To Kill A Mockingbird
	the male portion of our class
	found it funny to tease us 
	with this new knowledge
	"Rape!, Rape!"
	they would shout
	wrestling each other and us
	to get Ms. LoFaso's attention
	just so they could curse at her
	she cried at her refuge
where we would sneak into when she went to call the principle 
	and change our phone numbers
she called my house once
when Justin and I were talking 
during a reading of To Kill A Mockingbird
we were playing M*A*S*H
he had put my name in the first section
I was the last of the four possible wives 
but I had made it
and who could sit still?
I was crying by the time I got home
but it was too late
I planned her destruction
during the principal's observnce
	Alex, who knew everything,
from the functions of the
female reproductive system
to curses , A through Z
agreed to let me spill my water all over him
then he would curse to his heart's content
	Justin, who became the
beloved drummer
	would practice 
drumming on his desk
	even Colleen, the teacher's pet
	agreed not to pay attention
	everyone put in the effort
	and no one was reprimanded
	she wasn't even fired
she told us how she didn't go to her high school prom
she was taking classes in Hofstra
but at 42, she wouldn't be going to her college one either
she told us how we made her feel welcome
when she arrived to take our promoted teacher's place
how in her old school they pulled knives on the teachers
not the student, the parents!
how she never got married
she had never fallen in love
how she lived by herself 
because she didn't have a family 
she thanked us everyday
for making her life better
showing her kindness
we ducked behind 
the Tell-Tale Heart
hiding the tears that flowed freely from our eyes
even Alex's