Sex Education
Sister Ancilla bangs a ruler
at the trembling projector screen
where four naked girls stand up in themselves.
They have come to walk us through puberty,
beginning with the baby steps of the youngest,
who trails behind a bigger sister.
Next, a teenager takes our place in this line-up,
caught with her pants down, she doesn’t giggle or fidget.
Finally, the head girl is a fully rounded figure,
she is ready to break into a run, to bump into a man.
Sister Ancilla holds her ruler
and won’t let it drop.
She turns to look for a volunteer:
“Which girl will tell me what’s happening here?”
Anna Woodford © 2004
