Class Picture, 1954 by Billy Collins
I am the third one
from the left in the third row.
The girl I have been in love with
since the 5th grade is just behind me
to the right, the one with the bangs.
The boy who pushes me down
in the playground
is the last one on the left in the top row.
And my friend Paul is the second one
in the second row, the one
with his collar sticking out, next to the teacher.
But that’s not all-
if you look carefully you can see
our house in the background
with its porch and its brick chimney
and up in the clouds
you can see the faces of my parents.
and over there, off to the side,
Superman is balancing
a green car over his head with one hand.
This poem was selected by Shira S. (Reader’s Services)
