ninety minutes lost
a test to test the test: fail
computer burnout
what are we testing?
inadequate servers, schools?
pass codes to nowhere?
the students see it:
the farce of education
on the error screen
teaching
With These Words
a guilty headache
writing, yoga abandoned
for Spanish test prayers
four-forty a.m.:
swallow last night’s leftovers
extend my commute
four ibuprofens
dawn on a two-mile walk:
sunrise on my school
early arrival
i make lesson plans and grade
till they shuffle in
solid essay work
they have surprised me again
with how i love them
early return home
to intense yoga practice
this happy hour
headache free, i’ll sleep
ready for a new sunrise
guiltless with these words
Reconciliation
in my mother’s voice
i numerically show them
what failure looks like
smart enough, they listen
though it’s Friday the thirteenth
i’ve earned myself luck
fast fingers to keys
i forgive immature acts
when i see success
Teacher Mother Prayer
headstand of success
to top a sunny work week
filled with teenage grins
plan for our future
money’s tight, love is tighter
let’s let loose the strings
all of my children
wrapped in a challenging pose
namaste, my soul
Interaction
list to last the week
highest group gets me the gold
held accountable
all papers graded
impossible standards met
you can’t challenge me
i will surpass you
snarky remarks tucked within
so you can’t see me
’cause i’m a winner
downtrodden made me stronger
in the end, you’ll see
Shakespeare’s sonnets sing
across these four centuries
hear them sing along
alas, their voices
really bring us together
let us listen. Well.
Doors
absenteeism
shuffles in a class bully
to begin my day
meeting turned sour
by news of favorite students
choosing other schools
(but i don’t blame them
after my reception here
and structure-less rules)
lunch: a cruel email
brings sixty minutes on hold
all for eight digits
if i had those numbers
for what i should earn each day
this wouldn’t matter
dean’s accusation
ends my locked-door afternoon
loss, theft, and questions
at home, door swings wide
my baby with arms open
smile bright as birth
we draw skating paths
multicolored chalk, sunsets
stress melts into love
Sonnet for Equality
Modeled after “Sonnet XVIII” by William Shakespeare
Sonnet for Equality
Shall I compare you to a summer’s dream?
You are permanent in the public’s view
In this new world things can sometimes seem
As fair as fair can be if they ask you
But we all know that you don’t always shine
As bright as King summoned under His light
And with the devil, time oft stays behind
And souls oft forget to fight the good fight
Your absence makes a death toll hard to bear
When those in charge can only summon hate
Yet I know deep down you will always care
For humans who would like to change their fate
Equality, I ask for sweet returns
Into hearts seeking solace for their burns
Burdened
other than starving
(because yoga doesn’t work)
my solutions fail
her comment stings
the tail of disappointment
snaps back at my truth
five pounds is that clear?
how hard i carry the weight
of words i can’t lose
Two Birds… Different Stones
i won’t give in here
too early, too adamant
a long semester
they need the structure
in walls unlike those at home
where they’re free as birds
they’ll hate me for it
but learning is needed more
than a text message
but how their wrath wins
with flippant parents’ lose tongues,
lack of discipline
my daily fight ends
with bickering daughters, cries,
skipping yoga class
table talk of love
afterward: apologies,
coloring, and peace
i will give in here
love lies deeper, lasts longer
flies free as a bird
Teaching is a Guest House
Modeled after “The Guest House” by Rumi
This teaching is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A surprise, a sadness, a frustration,
some momentary celebration comes
as an unplanned visitor.
Accept and accommodate them all!
even if they are a crowd of admin
who violently sweep your classroom
empty of its whiteboards,
Still, treat each guest respectfully.
he may be preparing you for
some new adventure.
The homeless student, the refugee, the defiant ones,
meet them at the door with a smile
and let them know they are welcome.
Be grateful for whomever enters,
because each has been sent
to make your life more than
a forgotten promise.
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