Despues

Cowering under a school desk
waiting for the white flash of light

the burning churning winds
Miss Rodriguez said would come

telling us first graders you will not
hear the explosion and she assured us

that we would be ok despues
we didn’t know who or what this cuba was

nor did we care all we kept asking was
can we still go and play outside during recess

Miss Rodriguez assured again us yes yes of course
she was an optimist and after the bomb went off

after the blinding light and the fireball
we did indeed go outside to play in the school yard

our burnt skin and burnt hair falling off
as we flew higher and higher on the swings