The Poetry of
Michael G. Khmelnitsky

in the process of
teaching her  how
to answer questions

I take out my pen
my fountain pen
and give it to her

give my pen to her
(to write  and she
writes  in neat

identical let
ters with the ink dry
ing as it flows

and the perfection
of how she holds my
pen  gives me small

guilty pleasure
later  on the
bus  alone with

notebook  thoughts
I hold my pen and
write  and though she

writes grammar exer
cises and i po
etry  I feel

her way is better