I picked the little from his school van,
His Trademark smile missing, as I scan.
Passing me his bag, he walked home fretting,
Must be bad day at school, as I see his tears rolling.
He runs and breaks open our house gate,
Petty fight with classmate, is what I speculate.
He pounces on the sofa, drops his school bag,
Why is he missing his usual brag?
I inspect his lunch box, plenty of food leftover,
Snacks and water bottle not emptied moreover.
I turn towards him, demanding an explanation,
He cuddles me tight, finally ready for a conversation.
“You know what happened today at school?
There was a duel and Freddy called me fool.
Remember what you have always said,
We can’t use a bad word if we turn red.
Every time I questioned you,” what are the right terms to express one’s rage?”
Your constant answer “There are no bad words available for your age.”
Today I learned you have cheated me all long,
For a 3rd grader, acceptable bad word -Fool, using it is not all wrong.