Field Trip

by Ashleigh Tomcics

on a rubbered yellow death trap (#59),

Jess says to me

“if they’re old enough to have sex,

they’re old enough to read about death.”

& why not? kids dying in the street, at church,

the movies, concerts, school.

a whole lifetime of childhood memories

played out in tragedy,

& a student says to me, “miss i want to read

all the books in the world someday,” & another

is hospitalized for a suicide attempt

& another is gone.