Fifth-Grade Memory: PostersÂ
when our teacher told us one of our class
won the city-wide 5th grade safety posterÂ
contest I knew of course that it was me
but surprise, it was my good friend
nona smith who won with her pictureÂ
of an open medicine cabinet with
bottles of different sizes lined up onÂ
the shelves I was glad for nona for
I instantly realized her warning to beÂ
wary of medications appealed more
to the general public than my kid in aÂ
leafy tree with the slogan “don’t climb onÂ
dangerous branches” no matter how wellÂ
drawn for most viewers wouldn’t be in
trees but everybody looks in cabinets
it’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten nor willÂ
I ever forget nona’s incredulous smile
2022 Jacqueline Jackson
This article appears in Pipeline protests.
