In his crisp navy blue
shirt and brown-rimmed
glasses, the professor
stands in front
of his class:
It is not in your
principles, he says.
Not in your mindset
at the moment.
Not in your attitude
or way of looking at
things---
that is why it does
not manifest
in your behavior.
Stunned, his class falls
silent.
Eleanor, one of the brightest
among them, recalls
the moment:
she wished the sound of
crickets would drown
out the silence.