Poem #14: SSA

My student hides her pregnancy
under her billowing dress and hijab
from the other eleventh graders
all dressed in navies and beiges.
No one notices her hands—
how they gravitate beneath her desk
to settle upon her midsection,
while she writes and erases
for the state mandated assessment
about standard school attire.
Her English is close to perfect,
her introduction flawless,
with three solid reasons
and even transitional phrases
flowing one into the next.
Her handwriting, steady and convincing,
outlines each of them:
First of all, how can we focus
if we’re uncomfortable? Second,
SSA doesn’t hide who has more money.
Third, we cannot express ourselves
as individuals. And through it all,
she holds to her position,
opposition to the dress code,
and I am struck by her conviction,
knowing she’ll earn a passing score,
but I wonder who she pictured
as the members of her audience
when she attempted to persuade.