School Mother
My school mother sits at the edge of a desk
Dropping carefully worded bombshells
Across the ruts of her students’ minds.
I sit and watch, smiling to myself.
Last year, I was that student.
Last year, she spoke to me
And those carefully worded bombshells
Broke their way through bias and thought patterns,
Shaking me to my very core.
For her, students are precious.
For her, it’s not makeup—it’s seldom-used war paint.
She gets by with the clothes on her back and just enough to eat
Because
She loves
Her students.
How rare is this mixture of
Professionalism, kindness
And honesty?
How rare is this flavor of
Mentor, mother, teacher?
My school mother sits at the edge of her desk
Dropping lovingly worded bombshells
Into the customary grooves of her students’ minds.
I sit and watch, marveling to myself.