The Conference

.
.
Thinking maybe I am wrong,
not wanting to make
unscientific assumptions
that I am right, I talk to the student
who stands so near, like a partner
confronting an office intern.
.
My educated judgment
flops like the dorsal fin
of a caged Orca.
It is my duty to hold myself erect.
.
The fears wrestle each other in my mind.
No harsh judgments, I believe,
no ranking gradations
should ever be rendered
that break somebody's heart.