She sits there
Her hand grip her chair
She looks down
Hoping
Praying
That she won’t be called on
She lifts her head
As her name is called
“Come do this question on the board.”
She’s told
But something inside her
stops her
Something snaps
Something breaks
And she sits
And doesn’t move a muscle
She’s called again
Told to do it
She just can’t
She starts shutting down
She crosses her arms
Leans back
In her chair
And her face goes blank
Her teacher
Asks her
Once more
But her eyes stare
straight through
She feels nothing
Because
Once again
Something snapped
Something broke
And she shut down