I walk like a palm tree from my apartment to school
I see kids who’ve nothing left to yearn for stare
Through the tinted windows of fancy cars
A loving parent with a disposable coffee cup waves at drop off
I walk like a dream from the parking lot to the door
I see kids who have friends from kindergarten giggle
With hands covering their mouths as they talk about me
A boy or a girl with half a heart shushes a crowd sometimes
I wait like spring deep inside the trunk of bare oaks
Scattered throughout the small town still new, never a home
I wait for a friend who will never sit at the lunch table
My mother who will come home when I am already asleep
I breathe like a hurricane downgraded to a breeze
And wait for the smooth floor of the gym for
One basketball hoop, one pair of worn-out sneakers
And one coach, the only one who sees, what I could be
Question 1
This question has two parts. Answer Part A, and then answer Part B.
Part A
Which sentence BEST describes a theme of the poem?
Responses
A Those who have dreams are often misunderstood.Those who have dreams are often misunderstood.
B Sometimes people are lonely even in a crowd.Sometimes people are lonely even in a crowd.
C Only children who grow up in poverty are ambitious. Only children who grow up in poverty are ambitious.
D Parents are often unaware of their children’s real interests. Parents are often unaware of their children’s real interests.
Question 2
Part B
Which sentence from the story BEST supports the answer in Part A?
Responses
A I breathe like a hurricane downgraded to a breezeI breathe like a hurricane downgraded to a breeze
B I see kids who have friends from kindergarten giggleI see kids who have friends from kindergarten giggle
C One basketball hoop, one pair of worn-out sneakersOne basketball hoop, one pair of worn-out sneakers
D With hands covering their mouths as they talk about me