the “permission slip”
if you leave the classroom
you have to have a “permission slip”––
a bright yellow-colored, pre-printed sheet of paper
which will travel with you.
for example:
“this allows (blank) permission to use the restroom.”
(blank) is filled-in with your name.
your very own, personalized “permission slip.”
there were 23 kids in the classroom.
there were 6 kids in the hallway carrying “permission slips”
and another 7 standing at the urinals.
there were 2.5 million people in the United States.
there are billions of us in the world
and near a trillion stars in the home galaxy
although they said "Andromeda" is bigger.
as a 12 year resident on Earth, I took that as an insult.
estimated wait-time for an open urinal was anybody’s guess.
also, It was required that the “permission slip”
be returned to the classroom "un-folded" which
was quite an accomplishment while standing at a urinal.
Hugo A. Dubuque School
