The Change I Wish to See

1.

She sits under a poster of Ghandi.

Her face is tanning-booth-brown

borderline orange—she hasn’t stopped

putting on make-up since entering

except to text and apply saline solution

to her nose piercing. She carries on a conversation

discussing the finer points of Taylor Lautner’s body

2.

Be the change you wish to see in the world

I will be a unicorn:

an articulate and imaginative unicorn.

Who always signals when changing lanes.

Able to: convince teens of the dangers

of consumerism and being an asshole;

shoot lighting from my eyes;

and reverse the effects of climate change

with the sheer warmth of my wit.

Or maybe just a substitute teacher

with the supernatural ability

to inspire unmotivated high school sophomores

to open their geometry text books

turn to page 212 and start work

on exercises 1 through 14.