CLASSMATE

When I was in high school

There was a designated thief

Tall and dark, a shadowy boy

Who never joked.

We knew Parrison was a thief

Because he stole things

(Or did he steal things

Because we knew he was a thief?)

As far as I know, no one

Complained to authority;

He was our thief and we

Were quietly proud to have him.

Once, he stole my bus pass

But — fair is fair — he later

Sold me someone else's.