Breathing Lessons

bag on, keys in hand
lights still off, door prop broken
they wait for me here

never a moment
to take a breath or a rest
once here? i breathe them

spinning hat cycle
switch styles: students, admin
teach, plan, grade, succumb

bag down, keys waiting
lights come on, i work past dark
they wait for me there

somewhere in between
i put on the mama hat
dinner, bed cuddling

i dream of yoga
breathing in, out, stretching soul
hats off, i breathe them

Meetings

wind-swept grassland hike
table-top view of city
where mountain meets home

clear creek cottonwoods
hand-crafted home brewery
where dreamers meet dreams

science fair half done
little girl pianists play
where weekend meets week

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Wheels and Deals

lunch date spin cycle
soaking up blue sky autumn
park hopping joy ride

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The Count

two-month countdown starts
pre-holiday pay knifing
how will we survive?

just as we once did:
a chef, errand-free weekends
(stay-at-home dad’s gifts)

two sides make all coins:
heavy sacrifice, workload
frantic rat race gone

we could count pennies
or we could count our blessings
we will see what counts

Tragic Advice

in the grand scheme, grin
because the pain of this day
buys future joy

Citations

poorly-worded goal
provided by school district
let’s confuse students

find main idea,
three facts, underlying themes
cite text evidence

even in haiku
i clarify what they can’t
why are they in charge?

come home to harsh truths:
charter school rules, union blues
paradox, my life

my new objective:
theme that saves main idea
minus the details

(life is a challenge
of unplugged net books, low pay;
cite love to survive)

Hump Day Blues

one outlandish class
topped with broken promises
bring me my weekend