Only the janitor could open the transoms
They locked the windows to stop us from running
Our coaches carried four-foot paddles
drilled with one-inch holes,
slammed them into our asses
until our faces exploded,
swung again and again to break us in half
A fourth of the freshman girls became mothers,
wailed loudly in the halls and blamed us
Some of my friends did time or probation
for shoplifting, burglary, or car theft
Others shot heroin in the bathrooms
All of us escaped our homes for midnight asphalt,
swigging quart bottles of watery beer
For gangs from other schools
we wound links of tire chain around fists
hidden in the pockets of our leather jackets,
hoping to sidestep an ice pick
or dodge a baseball bat
From our parents and teachers we learned
to shield our faces with a raised elbow
and keep our best hand free