Back to Issue 3

The Recess Bell by John R. Hunt

On the playground,
a child stands,
tight against the wall,
watching
for things
that interrupt the laughter
of classmates playing tetherball,
and knuckle-shooting marbles
on their knees.

Tight against the wall,
a child stands,
listening for
laughter turned to mockery,
pulling on a thumb,
watching
a beetle carried off by ants.

On the playground,
a child a child stands,
wondering
what might happen,
if in the beetle world,
a ringing bell
would stop the ants
from taking it away.