Marilyn Brandt Smith

TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND, 1955

Melinda stole the sugar bowl tonight,
We stayed in study hall till almost eight.
With cinnamon and bread in secret flight
We ate it all down by the campus gate.
I never thought when I sat out from home
About the boring hours after class.
The lengths to which we go astonish some,
"Don't break the rules, don't chance the sure harass."
I see myself a teacher years from now
And wonder, will I know a girl like me
Who needs to know the when and where and how,
But wants her mind and body to be free?
We'll find a prank tomorrow to contrive,
It keeps our creativity alive.

*Previously published in Behind Our Eyes: Stories, Poems and Essays by Writers with Disabilities

Marilyn Brandt Smith holds degrees in English, education, and counseling psychology and has worked in rehabilitation in several states. She has written for, and edited, small-circulation magazines and is the primary editor of a disability anthology, Behind Our Eyes, published in 2007. Marilyn was the first blind Peace Corps volunteer. She lives with her family in Kentucky. E-mail her at: www.merrychristmas@insightbb.com.