Teacher Person Poem

(An homage to “Old Florist” by Theodore Roethke)

That form of  a woman correcting exams.

Or planning future lessons and prompts,

Researching and reading standards into practices,

How she could write upside down,

Eyes in the back of her head,

Or make everyday rituals special,

Or encourage bigger leaps of faith,

Or stamp bullying down,

Or fan little sparks of understanding,

Or stand all day in her rubber sole shoes, her soul encompassing all.