J.R. SOLONCHE

I Wrote on the Board the Word SUCCESS

I wrote on the board the word SUCCESS.
What does this word mean? I asked.
I pointed at one in the first row.
What does this word mean? I asked.
He made a face. It looked like a frown.
A big house, he answered. I pointed at
one in the last row. What does this word
mean? I asked. She did not hesitate.
A good job, she said. I pointed at one
in the middle of the class. What does
this word mean? I asked. He shrugged
and said, My own business. So it went.
A lot of money. Sports cars. Rich lawyer.
Rich CPA. Finally someone said, What
does it mean to you, Mr. S.? I smiled,
for I was prepared for this. Yet before
I could say, To be a better than average
person, then die without being a bother,
I blurted out, To win the Pulitzer Prize
for Poetry, and I dismissed the class.

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