Dress Code

[Leanne]

This is a fascinating mapping, passing events through the uniform filter -- we've always had compulsory uniforms here and I quite like them myself, but this does make me think about the way in which kids will pick out any point of difference, no matter how much the Powers That Be insist that everyone is "the same". I have only very small suggestions to make, mostly on points of break and grammar (of course!).

Uniforms did not stop
pimples in middle school
or ease swelling
in the playground;

when the bee stung your forehead,
your eye was closed -- do you need "was" here? Just "closed" gives it a bit more immediate action, even though it's still past tense.
like a red balloon,
floating through the stairwells
to the nurse for a shot
or phone call home. -- I keep wanting it to read "or a phone call"

No uniform
I ever saw
hid crooked teeth or braces,
hair cuts or broken arms;

everyone wearing
everyone else's clothes -- I really like this insight
made those things bolder
as a shot of sun
in an afternoon hallway,

so it was no surprise
when the names followed you
into the classroom, cluttered your desk
and waited at your locker.

"Alien" was the most popular,
followed by "Cyclops"
or the less creative -- I wonder how this would be if it were or (the less creative) as an aside, maybe giving it a touch of sarcasm?
"Freak."

You shed
and returned them to their owners -- these lines strike me as a bit awkward, maybe something like:

You shed them,
returned them to their owners
when your eye opened,

and it stained -- I'd probably remove this break, make this one long(ish) line
the only shirts
they ever wore to school
that year.