A Teacher's Plea

 A Teacher's Plea

I want to go back

I do

I want--

Quiet down now please

Come on kiddos, please

Thank you

I can't go back

It's not safe

I can't--

Students! Please

I don't want to raise my voice

Our classrooms

Are a second home

A place--

Should I just wait?

Let you all finish talking?

Okay, sorry about that

Where was I?

Oh, right--

Sorry, gotta take this call

Answer this email

Attend this virtual meeting

Learn how to use this

Learn how to use that

I have to relearn

How to do my whole job

But I'm here

Here for your children

Here for education

For compassion

For hope

Please, I want to go back, I really do

I just can't.

Boxes Aren't For Me

 Boxes Aren't For Me

I refuse

To climb into the box

That all of you

Built for me

So that you can be comfortable

I Had Some Thoughts

 I Had Some Thoughts

My thoughts are only ever

A solitary way of thinking

Everyone else with their own thoughts

Thinking alone and lonely

If the voices in my head

Share their thoughts

Are they new?

Or are they all just my thoughts

After all

They are my voices

I just hope

They're not really how I think

Punishment and Consequences

 Punishment and Consequences

I'm the kind of person

That will hold a grudge

Against myself

On behalf of others

That hold no grudge against me

Living in a constant state

Of self-imposed punishment

It's no wonder I'm so tired

So tired

So broken

I've chipped away too often

Hoping I still had time

So long as the chips were small

And yet, here I am

With nothing left

An Epic of Small Proportions

 An Epic of Small Proportions

With fewer words

Than would be expected

Fewer lines

Than would be required

With a pen that fits

In between my fragile fingers

A mortal's immortal journey is transcribed

Characters capable of living forever

In the mind's imagination

Traverse across the pages

Filled with one, simple truth

An author writes

And writes

And writes

And yet will never be

What their story is

Complete and content

With its place amongst eternity

Inevitability Carving Out Hearts

 Inevitability Carving Out Hearts

Death is absolute
Whether it be sudden or sincere

It can be both painful and merciful

Quick and clean or long and ugly

It can be brought upon others

With malcontent

But most death is indifferent

Seemingly random

Ironically, on purpose

Fleeing is as impossible as retreat

It does not walk, run, nor fly

It simply is

Death is not about fairness

Logic or carefully crafted calculations

It's human

Human and horrible

Human and honorable

Death is and always will be