Masters Degree in Kindness
 
PhD in Which Way The Wind Blows
 
Doctorate in Good Humor
 
BA in the Art of Conversation
BA in How To Enjoy Being A Single Poet
 
BS for the ability to detect bullshit
 
Kindergarten Class in Rivers
(with a so-called field trip literally In Rivers)
 
A test testing your mettle with life-experiences
 
Homework studying how your home works
so you learn of the natural flow,
of self-maintenance, and what improvements could be made
 
How to make the most of being in school,
in other words, how to learn and be a critical thinker,
not just store information and parrot it back
(no offense to parrots)
 
(with Rabbie Burns accent)
Thinking outside the Books
 
High School Diploma in Sexual Self-Satisfaction
so by the time you get to college
you might actually focus on your studies
 
The sound your voice makes in my ear
when we’re standing outdoors
when the December air
is chill . . .
and still . . .
and oh so quiet . . .
yet in that quiet stillness
the rush of being alive
buoyed by the rush of your voice-breath in my ear
and the repeating sight of puffs of air like smoke
from our breathing . . .