They were thrilled and shocked
to learn that tele– means
far-reaching.
searching for a real understanding,
they argued their point.

Alas, the word wizard won
as we evaluated,
in snippets of excited
teacher-assisted talk
along our educational continuum:
television, telephone, telepathy

The light bulbs sprung up
over their heads
and they shuffled out the door,
ready for another hour
of new, far-reaching words
they would learn along the way.