a lone student raises
a hand after I ask
a heavy question

I call upon the hand
every time as if
it signals something
to be chased

“can I use the bathroom?”
is always the question

sometimes it’s pleasing
merely to see a hand raised
in a sea of blank faces

and lo, I call upon the raised hand
and will continue to call upon it
until one day the student
will not ask to be excused
but will stun us all