a nervous system

this is only a test. a pre-test. to test how well you will actually do on the real test, which will be followed by a post-test, to ensure the test results were valid and that the test tested what the test was intended to test.

in this health classroom

the glossy posters

make it seem

so simple:

brain

spinal cord

nerves.

they say

it's just a test,

the nerves fire

and it's just an impulse,

automatic

like breathing,

but i know it's more

complex than that,

it's five rows of seven

straight-backed desks,

ID numbers bubbled and

last name first name middle initial only

tests testing test results

pre- and post- and

somewhere lost between,

the actual point

is a distractor, wrong answers

must be eliminated

so we lie, we tell them

the pressure will lift

when they finish

but the pressure

stays, repackaged as:

collegejobsmoney

marriagekidscars

choicespressure

always--

steady as breathing,

panic purple as

cord-wrapped newborns.

 

Reviews

[Dan Bullock]

I see what you're saying but I want more raw indepth descriptions, not by this do I mean expansive and over zealous word use...just rip it up more and imagery can be so important. Like your final line.