Ian Willey
The Substitute
A boy raises his hand and asks
the teacher how much longer
he’ll have to hate himself, and
the teacher, unsure how to
respond, reaches for the manual
only to discover that the manual
is missing, having been replaced
by an old TV Guide, and so he
stands there, discombobulated,
green as key lime pie, scanning
the blank faces before him and
wondering how much they know.
Ian Willey tries very hard not to freaking disappoint Mrs. Tate.