gym class

how hard
did they try to kill
children in junior high school,
very hard
is the answer.
take the pummel horse
for instance,
what child has run full
speed and leaped
over or onto one before,
who has climbed
a thirty foot rope
to the ceiling
of a gymnasium above
a hard wood floor
and nothing else, but
other skinny kids
who would run if you fell.
the parallel bars,
the trampoline,
the endless runs
around the back stops
and back,
the push ups,
the sit ups. murder
ball.
the crease marks on
your swollen face
as you showered
with the other flies
before English class,
knees bleeding,
still sweating, smelling
of cheap soap
and stale towels.