Today’s prompt is to write an acrostic analogy poem. This poem is for my students and coworkers in quarantine.
Teach Heart
Teach is to inspire as
Education is to inquire
Academics are to be second when
Children’s needs are to be first
Heart matters more than
Having scores rise or fall
Everyone is to quarantine
As no one is to gather
Remote learning is to disengagement as
Teaching from home is to a call and silent response
Today’s Prompt: Write an Ekphrastic Poem. Spend time in the scene of a photograph and write a poem in response to the work of art. My poem is a response to Group of African American Children Playing from the early 1900’s.
They Haven’t Yet
They haven’t yet heard their mamas wailin’
When their daddies got caged no chance for bailin’
“Don’t understand, ain’t done nothing wrong!”
But skin too black and mind too strong
They haven’t yet gone to the Negro schools
Where white folks be callin’ them nasty fools
Young church ladies try their hands at teachin’
On Sunday evening after pastors done preachin’
They haven’t yet been beaten or kicked in the streets
But they seen Hatred ridin’ behind white sheets
White men breedin’ their power and hate
In a country where nothin’ ain’t never been great
They haven’t yet stood in line to vote
Rights and equality ain’t even been wrote
Their own children haven’t yet been born
In a nation where they’ll forever be scorned
They haven’t yet died while trying to live
They had only one smile and laugh to give
They had only one hand and hope to hold
They had only each other to love and behold
The Urban Dictionary says that hustle is
to have the courage, confidence,
self-belief and self-determination
to go out there and work it out
until you find the opportunities you want in life.
My full-time hustle is teaching children
Teaching novice teachers is my part-time hustle
I have to keep going.
Facing my students
praying for my students
preparing my students
to go out there
with courage, confidence,
self belief and self-determination
to find the opportunities
they want in life.
I have to hustle for them
not just for me
because by the time they graduate high school
and by the time they get their teaching credentials
someone will have said
they can’t do it, won’t have it, shouldn’t dream it
and someone will try to wash the color from their hearts
and build steel cages around their freedom
and distract their perseverance
until they can’t even utter a syllable of success.
But I will push the hustle into them
like it was pushed into me
and I will thank them for sticking with it
like they thanked me for not giving up on them.
#keepitreal2018
San Bernardino School Shooting
Husband enters classroom
kills wife
and an 8-year old student
before killing himself.
I do not want visitors
while I am teaching.
We protect and serve
in classrooms
that are presumed safe.
Students should know
that no one would hurt them
inside of school.
Teachers settle arguments
and stop fights between students.
Teachers diffuse anger
and never tolerate bullying.
Teachers prepare lessons
group students for special help
and sit with individual children
who need that one-to-one time.
Karen Elaine Smith’s student
Jonathan Martinez
had Williams Syndrome
and probably spent many days
at his teacher’s side.
Karen Elaine Smith
did not have a chance
to protect herself or her students
but I believe Jonathan felt safe
as he ascended to heaven shortly after her
while she assuredly led the way.
Teachers and students don’t need visitors.
A surgeon does not receive visitors in the O.R.
Visitors are prohibited from approaching judges’ benches
Athletes don’t welcome visitors in the middle of a game.
But we who provide education
for students who seek careers
as doctors, judges and athletes
open our doors
open our arms
open our hearts
and give welcoming smiles
completely unaware that our visitors
may be armed
may be dangerous
may be ready to die.
How would the office staff know
that a visitor intends harm?
If someone needs to talk to the teacher
during instructional time
it should be forbidden
for the sake of the children’s learning time
and out of respect for the teacher’s time.
It should be forbidden
to interrupt protected classrooms
where students believe they are safe
where teachers leave their personal issues inside their homes
where unsettled family problems are locked outside the gates
and where life’s lessons
that children come to school to learn
won’t be nightmares of their classmates and teachers
shot in their safe zone
by a visitor.
one child chooses to look at porn
other children snitch
another child coughs up mucus
too close to my face.
one child cheats on his assignment
other children rush carelessly through
another child uses the “b word”
lies to my face.
one child requests me on Instagram
other children follow him
another child’s eyes shine in shock
from the look on my face.
where was my peace today?
porn was not watched on my watch
the mucus never touched my face
the children who rushed, asked to start over
and I never heard the “b word”
but I did hear, “God bless you”
after all 28 snotty, disgusting sneezes.
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