3 Poems

By Karol Nielsen

Eraser and Paddle

My brother was looking out the window in elementary school so his teacher threw an eraser at him. My mother went to see the principal to complain; and he opened a drawer, pulled out a big board with holes, and set it on his desk in front of my mother.

Cigarettes

My babysitter shared her cigarettes with me and I took them to the Christian Science private school I attended in the neighboring town. My friend and I smoked behind a field stone wall during recess even though Christian Scientists weren’t supposed to drink or smoke.

Skipping School

My parents paid twenty dollars an A and I made out as a straight A student most of the time. But I was bored with my classes and often skipped school. Once, while I was heading back to my high school during the middle of the day, I saw a familiar car driving by. “That’s my father,” I said.

Karol Nielsen is the author of the memoirs Raising the Price of the House, Walking A&P, and Black Elephants and three poetry chapbooks. Her first memoir was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. Her full-length poetry collection was a finalist for the Colorado Prize for Poetry. Her poem “This New Manhattan” was a finalist for the Ruth Stone Poetry Prize.