lock up your valuables the summer program will be using your room
Tatiana Chaterji
scene: threshold of a special education classroom in a public high
school in the first week of summer vacation. custodial staff
can be heard down the hall, the scrape of metal desks as
they prepare to wax the floors.
at rise: two teachers stand at the doorway in front of a large
garbage can. one throws books into it, stacking them to the
brim, heavy, dust from the pages floating in the sun-stained
air. not zealous, he is clear-headed and focused. the other
winces each time she hears the thwack of another tome on
top of the pile. she wrings her hands, sighs, and paces,
pained by the task in front of them.
dont worry theyre not going into the trash
what are you talking about
its recycling makes me feel better about it
oh yeah they sort it at the facility
i didnt know that
thats not the problem this hurts this is wrong
its not that bad
yes it is you just dont get it
of course i get it im the english teacher
but in my culture
and i dont need them
books are sacred
i promise
you never put books on the floor
except for the williams audit
you apologize to the goddess if you drop a book
or accidentally brush your foot against one
nobody reads books anymore
this is a school
i know its crazy right
youre putting daggers in my chest
do you want to stop
no i have no other choice i need storage
i did this with the librarian last week
really how many
almost the whole collection
in the trash just dumped
recycling remember
instead of donating
its too much to coordinate and some are out of date
how is this real
we were helping her she needed help
what happens now with no books in the library
shes getting new ones
i thought you said nobody reads books
well its both and if i need any of the old ones
she can get them for me
the thing is they symbolize knowledge
lets fill these boxes and put them on the cart
knowledge is from god
we can roll it up to the bins
so im disrespecting god do you understand
i love these books they are my heart okay
fahrenheit 911 catcher in the rye
autobiography of malcolm x
flowers for algernon persepolis shakespeare
i know why the caged bird sings
this is impossible
just breathe
Tatiana Chaterji
Living with a traumatic brain injury from community violence and grieving the loss of too many students to the same, Tatiana Chaterji writes to set free the cycles of healing we need for freedom. She is an emerging writer, mother of two small children, conflict worker, educator, restorative justice practitioner and theater-based healer based on Ohlone land in Oakland, CA. Her essays and poems are featured in Seventh Wave, Indianapolis Review, Rise Up Review, The Rush, Panorama, and Voicemail Poems and forthcoming in Cherry Tree. Learn more at www.tatianachaterji.com.