The Perils of a Critical Education
for Karen O'Shaughnessy
the local gourmet cracker queen calls
to ask if the shelter has room for a donation
seconds after a yes, thank you! her van
at the back door honking, surrounded
by a camera crew, its director urging us
to keep coming! keep coming! you
in the vest to the passenger side, you
in the toque, I want you to hug
the driver, an older woman who was for years
a resident until her meds got the better
of everyone and her pastor found her
a basement room at the manse
I don’t know what’s going on, she giggles
as her door is opened for her, I've never
been behind the wheel of a car before
let alone a van as nice as this one
it took two takes to get the hug right
and three to get the gift given, but
by then the damage was done: we broke
receiving's cardinal rule
when we looked in its mouth
and saw not those pretty boxes
of sweet 'n' savoury crackers
but a six-foot tube of rock hard heels
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