The Alien Crossing Guard

Finally, in fifth grade they gave me
the white belt and shoulder strap
and put me on the streets to monitor
crossings half a block from school,

and for three days I did just fine—
there weren’t many cars or kids.
But then came a day I lost track
of time, lured into a waking 

dream, and following that whiff
of strangeness, deserted my post
and woke far…