Period 5 Accommodations

by Frank J. Tassone · 21 October 2020

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Ki-on carries on. Carmen manipulates. Carlos and Justin complain. Ibrahim defies. Seated in a horseshoe formation, in a corner room, they test me while taking their tests.

I feel the familiar sensations: tightening in the throat and chest, tension in the neck and shoulders, gritted teeth. My frustration rises. This time, however, I become aware of it, and the cycle through which I perpetuate it. This time, I breathe, then change the script. I relocate two students: the rest quiet down. They eventually work through the period.

Then it’s time for me to cover yet another period, instead of having lunch.

cold room
the air-conditioner turns
on and off

Photo by Karim MANJRA

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Frank J. Tassone

Frank J. Tassone lives in New York City's "back yard" with his wife and son. He fell in love with writing after he wrote his first short story at age 12 and his first poem in high school. He began writing haiku and haibun seriously in the 2000s. His haikai poetry has appeared in Failed Haiku, Cattails, Haibun Today, Contemporary Haibun Online, Contemporary Haibun, The Haiku Foundation and Haiku Society of America member anthologies. He is a contributing poet for the online literary journal Image Curve, and a performance poet with Rockland Poets. When he's not writing, Frank works as a special education high school teacher in the Bronx. When he's not working or writing, he enjoys time with his family, meditation, hiking, practicing tai chi and geeking out to Star Wars, Marvel Cinema and any other Sci-Fi/Fantasy film and TV worth seeing.