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Mrs. Mancinelli's Second Grade Class

Tammie Keiko Oka

On da firs day of school
my madda stood wit me
in front of da bulletin board,
and we look who my teacha was.
Second gradas, and I saw my name
unda Mrs. Mancinelli.
I thought I was gone drop dead
cause all my frens
told me she one real witch,
and keep one eye on everybody
cause she follow um from
kindagarden to da second grade.

When I got to class
Mrs. Mancinelli neva look
like one witch. She had one pointy nose,
her hair was black, but real short
like Audrey Hepburn.
She tell me wit one telephone voice
for put my backpack in da cubby hole,
and tell us for say
what we wen do during da summa.
But I neva did nuting
I just stay at my grandmadda's house,
so I lie and make up one story
and tell her I wen everywhere …
to Ice Palace and Chuck E. Cheese
almos every day, and my classmates
get stars in dere eyes cause I know
dey wish dey could go
doz kine places everyday.

My teacha not so bad. She only
get crazy when Kai make yakamashi.
He Vietnamese or Chinese, but
I cannot tell cause dey all look da same …
like dere maddas no feed um.
I tink Kai mus be poor cause every time
he stand up I can see his ding ding.
I wonda why his parents no buy him BVDs
cause he get one gold chain
hanging around his neck. I tink
Mrs. Mancinelli like choke him
wit da chain, like my madda when she say
she like ring my neck cause I keep
spilling milk all ova da floor.

One time Kai no stay still
and Mrs. Mancinelli got so mad
she when get da jump ropes we use
for P.E., tie him to da orange chair
and made him sit dere till we pau skool.
Kai when shut up, but he neva cry.
I tink if Mrs. Mancinelli tie me
to da chair I would cry or
make shi shi in my pants cause
when I come home my fadda
gone whack my okole wit da
ping pong paddle or rubba band my mout.

Mrs. Mancinelli teach us
how for spell all kine words.
Today she teach us how for spell
parts of da body like
hand, arm, feet, and troat.
"You spelt everything right
except for throat. Why did you spell
throat without an 'h'?"

I try tink of one excuse
cause I no like her
strap me to da chair like Kai.
"Sorry Mrs. Mancinelli,
I cannot help … I'm part Pordagee."