Coffee ring on the lesson plan
Names in red on a fraying lanyard
Chalk dust soft on my black shirt sleeve
You walk in late
Eyes on your shoes
Three sharp knocks on the desktop wood
"Phones away"but I smile as I say it
You roll your eyes
Then you try that task
And surprise yourself when the answer lands
I am a teacher
I carry your questions home
I am a teacher
Every desk
Another unknown
You think I just mark your page
But I'm watching whole lives grow
I am a teacher
Letting go
Letting go
Field trip forms in a rubber band
Graffiti hearts on the back row table
You ask
"Will this matter years from now"
I shrug
Then I tell you
"So will you"
Fire drill line in the winter wind
You slip your coat on your quiet friend
I pretend I don't see that small good thing
But I write it down in my own mind ink
I am a teacher
I carry your questions home
I am a teacher
Every desk
Another unknown
You think I just mark your page
But I'm watching whole lives grow
I am a teacher
Letting go
Letting go