spring #9…

in a process
that
even
a mayan priest
would find
ostentatious
each spring
sealed bundles
of
educational evaluations
are conveyed
to
the classroom
there
beneath
the ritualistic blade
of
knowledge
young students
who’ve been
acclimatized
before
ascending
the mountain
called
state test requirements
begin
their daily trek
and
upon completion
like
all climbers
they discard
much
of what
they were
forced
to
carry