Watching Gifted Kids
Watch Freaky Me
by Dan Senn
As I spoke
I stepped outside myself
to watch the seventeen
year olds
and to see the words
I had spoken many times
about mechanisms
that knew nothing about
disciplines
and disciples
who were helplessly
undisciplined
knowing full well
I would have never
qualified
to be one of these
blond haired listeners
watching me talk
and wondering whether
any of them
would ever have an
original idea
fully knowing it most
unlikely
seeing
as by their age
they were hopelessly
part of that chain
of gifted raising gifted
raising gifted
raising our taxes
for innovation and
excellence
and other power programs
and grants galore
that ignore the different
that suffocate the
odd
while using words
like "cutting edge"
and "in terms of this" and "that"
knowing full well
that if I was found
out
these fucking little
Nazis
would tell the boss
that I said fucking
and that would be the
last
of my presidential
invitations
and suited subversions
impressing "heck" and
"darn"
and "doctor this" and
"that"
thinking,
perhaps,
it was still possible
to redirect resources
from the manikin managers
into some real institutional
"damage"
while showing up
on time
smiling
and pretending
the dead could speak.
Freak.
The freak could speak.
©1991 Dan Senn