We are not far from the classroom and already 
the morning California sun beats down with 
its cheerfulness beyond all reason. 

A child appears in front of us to investigate 
Eddie’s face until the boy must cover his eyes, 
sun being that bright. 

He announces he doesn’t believe Eddie is a real poet 
because, he reasons, removing his hand from above 
his eyes and speaking directly to me, he is too tall. 

The bell rings signaling recess is over, and Eddie and I 
head off to different rooms. I watch Eddie disappear into 
the mouth of a darkened hall, a giant among smallerlings. 

Stellasue Lee

received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Honolulu University. She is Editor Emeritus and founding poetry editor of Rattle. Two of her books have been entrants for the Pulitzer Prize: Firecracker Red, a powerful collection of poems set squarely in the earth; and Crossing The Double Yellow Line, a journey of sharp turns and hair-pin curves. Her work has appeared in three additional volumes: After I Fall, a collection of four Los Angeles poets; Over To You, an exchange of poems with David Widup; and 13 Los Angeles Poets, the ONTHEBUS Poets Series Number One (Bombshelter Press).

In 2013, Dr. Lee won the grand prize, “Poetry to Aid,” from Humanity Al Falah in Malaysia. Early in 2020, her collection of new and selected poems Queen of Jacks was released by Bombshelter Press. Her work has also been published in numerous literary journals, including Paterson Review, Connecticut Review, Margie, and The American Poetry Review. As a lecturer and teacher, she conducts workshops throughout the United States, and teaches privately. She was born in the year of the dragon.

Author’s website: www.stellasuelee.com