At least they taught us language
riding on the bus
they taught us how to spell
and table manners
the written word

They teach you how to smile
and that there are things
which have no shape

and how to kiss with open eyes
like pressing your face
against a mirror

In the back they teach you how to dance
and how to sleep outside
and a handful of names
of some now lost constellations

In the front they teach you how to drive
and how to talk to Cassidy
what’s beyond the window
it’s mostly dust, I suppose

And we drove across the country
riding on the bus
speaking words of bird
and beast and beat alike