Erasers
We were not taught
how to erase –
how best to rub out –
how to remove errors –
instead – we were told to
Put a line through it
Those eye-ruled
mistakes –
our slight aberrations
in our cobbled
curriculum
They were honest flaws
Being seen to fail
won gold stars
against your name
on that constant chart
of
stuck rewards
Now we suffer
others’ comments –
sickly – green-ish –
spilt on social media
We are ink-stained
No dabs of blotting paper