Dear Student,

Who taught you that learning
                                was a checklist and not listening to the wind
Where did you learn that reading
                                only counted if there was a multiple-choice quiz and a prize
What made you believe that dogs
                                can’t be blue or fly or tell silly jokes
When did you stop asking questions
                                about the color of sound and the taste of memory

Dear Teacher,

Why have we allowed school to become so dried
                                shrunken like a core that forgot it was once a glossy juicy apple
How have we let those without the magic
                                dim the lights so none can see