Don’t blame the school. It makes you seem a fool,
and caps you as a foil and a dunce.
That place was neither enemy nor tool
for ripening – observe it right for once.

Don’t search for good in your own childhood,
and don’t delude yourself that they have fun
who for two decades feel misunderstood
attempting to become a soul well done.

And don’t believe the party lines they give
who say it’s what you do with kids that counts,
when how much time you teach them how to live
will always matter most. The job amounts
to minutes spent, and heeding them is nice,
but talking to them is the best advice.