Vocabulary Test
a poem
a poem
What does “slavish” mean?
the students demand,
not looking up.
Will it be on the test?
I want to say,
it means
my hands are too busy
to caress a doll
my arms are too heavy
to fly a kite
my legs are too tired
to kick a ball
It means
my eyes never see sunshine
or the inside of a classroom
It means
my tiny body is not mine,
it’s yours, like
the threads I weave
the machine I operate
the pocket I sew
So that you may
dress like kings
stare at your phone
and ask questions like
Will this be on the test?