School for Fish

–with apologies to Langston Hughes

Well, granddaughter, I’ll tell you:
School for me was never like the
Crystal-clear-beach waters of the Caribbean Sea.
It was infested with jellyfish,
And sting-rays that stung you,
And hammerhead sharks,
And even crabs that bit your toes when you were not looking.
But through the years
I kept on swimming,
And riding the waves,
And sometimes even treading water
Trying not to drift out too far into the sea
Where the waters got dangerous.
So don’t stop swimming now,
And don’t stop kicking your legs
And paddling through the water,
Because school gets better,
For I made it through myself.
And school for me was never like the
Crystal-clear-beach waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Blair Guidry
Honorable Mention 9th & 10th grades
LA Writes! 2008
Destrehan High School
Destrehan, LA

used with permission of LA Writes!

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