VOTING RIGHTS

I waited in the hallway
with my father while
my mother entered the
school cafeteria to exercise
her right to vote. 

From our crowded corner,
I caught a glimpse of her
as she disappeared
behind the thin gray curtain.

My father explained why
it was all done in secret:
it was nobody’s business
who she voted for.

But I knew better—she
didn’t want anyone to see
the tiny slip of paper she
would be pulling from her
pocket—the one that spelled
out all the names he had
instructed her to vote for.