August, 2006
8:15
Weak coffee
secure a seat
wait for staff to get their picture taken
What's my background color preference,
asked the picture man
I was wearing green
so I said green
There's a pull down screen
projected onto it, taunting
are the words, "Academic Improvement Plan"
Next to it, an unknown woman in a dress suit
avoiding faces, shufflling paper
as people take their places
She looks unhappy
bracing, perhaps
she's got those bureauocratic wrinkles
the kind that take years of discontent to form
We begin
notes are taken
retention and promotion
short term assessing
standards aligning
skewed data defining
improvement
The heads in front of me sink
I feel a wrinkle forming
