February 23
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 1:39PM Undeniably, it was the promise of pulse-quickening entertainment that inspired Georgians from the countryside to make long trips into town on show day.
—The Big Tent: The Traveling Circus in Georgia, by Gregory J. Renoff
Dear Dixie,
The chicken’s back. Lord I missed him.
I’m editing essays when two high schoolers come moping in with the chicken. A guy and a gal. They said they found him up in the gym, but at the bottom of the stairs that lead down to the art department. Just sitting there all alone on a step.
Right.
Swear to God, they said.
Lame, guys. Real lame. I asked them who was the cute mastermind of all this school-wide chaos and intrigue that's gotten me in sort of some trouble with Lurlene.
They told me. The history teacher in the high school.
At least he’s in the department.
They asked me where the chicken goes … where is he during class and all.
I grab my chicken and put him back on the hook of The Chicken Pole. I tell them this is The Chicken Pole and he sits in the little hook here and when a student gets the chicken they put the chicken on this expensive pillow here.
The guy and the gal looked at each other and then at me. They looked like they didn’t know if they should laugh or not. They stood there and looked around the room and at the chicken sitting in his hook on The Chicken Pole. I could tell they also … very, very quickly … read a fine quote on the board behind me that came out of the mouth of Gigi a few days ago so I wrote it up there in big letters: IT REALLY HELPS WHEN YOU STUDY.
I know what the too-cool-for-school high schoolers were thinking. It was easy to tell. They were thinking I was the most goofiest and immature grown man schoolteacher they had ever seen.
I’ll take that as a compliment.
Next Entry ... February 24: The Quiz Really Was Waiting