Toll Statement

**FINAL NOTICE**

Statement ID: 646 days.

License: Pending government approval.

Previous Charges: Empathy. Generosity. Kindness.

New Charges: Betrayal. Ignorance. Deception.

Amount Due: Loyalty. Awareness. Truth.

Due Date: 35 days ago.

**We recommend you send your payment 646 days in advance to allow for forgiveness time.**

DO NOT SEND LIES.

Street Smarts

it’s a public street
they can’t tell us we can’t park
in an unmarked zone

rich white people suck
all the joy from their mansions
and spit it elsewhere

yet, we shall obey
for we’re mere public servants
who just can’t get home

how can one measure
twenty-five minutes a day
taken from our lives?

simple math, of course:
the same numbers measure how
we teach our students

it’s a public street
and we park on our soap box
with no microphone

Postage Paid

i want the cute cat
and not the cracked-up pavement
through the broken woods

Where to Begin?

my classroom awaits
a roster of empty seats
(only time will tell)

Teacher Tired

broken copier,
mushroom chicharrón tacos,
and this sad puppy
it's only Wednesday
of my first week back at school
and exhaustion wins

Bull-Hearted

like this worn-out dog
i have nearly given up…
yet, i’m a Taurus.
and so i garden
though it, too, is a failure
stolen by flowers
this year’s loss, in pics:
weeds and grass and tearing out
for one little heart

Road Trip 2021, Day Eight (A New Paddle)

carrying kayaks
down for a pup-and-paddle
oh the lake, the lake

Trapped

pretty much my life:
trying to find a safe place;
(need help with the door)


Versions of Home

summer camp is done.
art, yoga, cycling, love.
and home stretch? cooking.
these so-rare smiles
pouring milk for tortillas
like happy siblings
did you say siblings?
how about our matching twins
with perfect spring rolls?
don’t forget sushi 
made with Chinese expertise
to brighten their eyes
and fufu for all
stirred by girls from two cultures
finding friends at home
these mandazi men
so proud of their puffed product
all the way from home
taco influence
on the next generation
sharing her home’s heart
this sweet quesillo
comes from home with a sweet tale
(we’ve hit a home run)

Cooked

defeat plagues today
even with this sweet mural
sometimes losses win