“Breaking Rules” by Stella Eley
April 2, 2018
Breaking Rules
Do not litter unless you are
in the middle of the desert
and a giant army of camels with hammers
is chasing you and the speed limit
is at 5 percent. In this case you should
go over the speed limit to at least 50 percent
and you will drive away empty-handed.
Do not litter unless you are
in the middle of the desert, your air
conditioning is not working, the sun
is 3,392 percent hot, you are
being chased by an army of camels
with jackhammers, and your 5-year-old
daughter is screaming ’cause she is so hot.
In this case you should get all the paper
you have and make fans and dump
all the cold coffee and soda and ice cubes
from the cooler on your head
and drive away empty-handed.
Stella Eley wrote “Breaking Rules” while a second grader at Alki Elementary School with WITS Writer-in-Residence Jeanine Walker. Performed at SAL’s 2017/18 SAL Presents event with Daniel Pink on March 5, 2018, at Benaroya Hall.