Ashamed

My dad taught at East
Middle when I went to East
Middle and my dad
walked there
        and he
wore a backpack and

I plucked Christmas lights
to incomplete the circuit
to hear the pop of the smash
along that same path
ten minutes behind

I was ashamed when Chunk
this kid named Chunk
pointed out my Dad
with his backpack and no car
        (he had a car, c’mon) looking
as any other student
but

I got ten bucks
I got a hundred bucks says
Dad ain’t never vandalized
nobody’s Christmas lights