Cirrus@Austlit

'One of my earliest memories in life is set in my kindergarten classroom. I am five years old, and I am trying to make friends with a girl who has her hair tied in two ponytails, one on either side of her head. On some days, she has fluffy red adornments in her hair; her mouth is as small and as stained as a cheery. She already has a special friend. She does not want to be mine. I am trying to talk to her in class, but she raises her hand, and tells the teacher I am bothering her. The teacher puts masking tape over my mouth. I begin to cry, and the alphabet and its accompanying pictures on the chart pinned to the wall begin to blur. I cannot breathe; I am crying so hard,my nose has blocked up. A is for apple, B is for ball. The cat is yellow, the dog is brown. The teacher looks worried, and gestures to me to take the masking tape off. The girl I like puts her had up and tells the teacher. I never speak to her again.' (Introduction)