chewing gum in class

your hand begins
to cramp
as you write on
the blackboard
a hundred times
i will not chew gum
in class.
you are still chewing
gum, but without
enthusiasm.
the chalk makes
you sneeze
and your small
fingers are white
with the soft dust.
you have been
caught and punished,
but you have
not surrendered.
this will be the pattern
of your life.