NaPoWriMo #30: big finish

Last, and maybe (or not) least, here's the final poem I wrote at today's workshop. It's based on a prompt about making a resumé of failures—though I didn't get very far down my (rather substantial) list.


Curriculum Vitae

I liked Mr. Fore
when he was my middle school PE teacher
he didn't look down the girls' shirts
when they did push-ups
like Mr. Watson did
my senior year Mr. Fore got a job
as our high school health teacher
he was tall, blond, fit
had a great smile and lazy drawl
punctuated by bursts of enthusiasm
and a hearty laugh
but none of those were enough
to keep me from failing senior health.

The wonder of it was
I didn't know I failed
I walked at commencement
but never bothered to claim my diploma
then matriculated that fall
to my university of choice
where it took me one term
to be placed on academic probation
and another two to get suspended
did I mention a health class I failed
was the final mark against me?

I took a year off to work
spent eighteen months as a missionary
in the suburban wilds of San Jose, CA
then worked another year
before going back to school
one of the first courses
I took by correspondence
was the health class I failed
my freshman year in college
I got an A
because at last I learned
not just how to fail
but to fail again
and again and
again.