Skip to main content

Bury Me a Poet

Sometimes I'm amazed at the information my students share with me. (Just this week one asked me if it was true that "a lot of pimples on your face means you're horny all the time".)

One of my students this year is an amazing poet. He truly has a gift for words, and I am daily stunned by his ability to take a language that he has been studying for only two years and craft poems that move you.

This week he shared with me his two latest. The first one starts: "Bury me a poet." He goes on to explain that no matter anyone thinks of his passion for poetry and no matter how fruitless his dream of writing may seem, he is compelled to write.

I so get that feeling.

The second poem was about the feeling of desperation that goes hand in hand with poverty. That one made me cry. I understand that feeling, too.

Let me tell you, this kid has talent.

He and his siblings often keep me going throughout the day. I know what they're facing at home, and I'm always amazed at their ability to show up at school with SMILES on their faces. So many people just give up under similar circumstances, but not these kids. They work and they laugh and they make the most of what they have.

They are my inspiration.

Coming soon: the post about the knuckle-heads!

Comments

Christy said…
What a blessing - for you, to be with the souls of these young ones; for them - to be seen, really seen, by someone who cares.
5:27 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pardon the Interruption

It's 10:00. My race clothes are laying across the top of the dog crate. I've already consumed my all-natural sleep aid. The alarm is set for 4:45 in the morning. I should be sleeping, but my mind is spinning at an unnatural rate. Remember this poem ? The subject of that poem married just a few weeks ago, and I just finished looking through his wedding photos. It's a strange feeling. Not one of loss. Or Regret. Or even wistfulness. I'm thoroughly happy for both of them in a way that will seriously not make sense to most of the people I know. I suppose there will always be an odd sense of knowing in a situation like this. I know the feel of those lips. I've seen that look in his eyes. What I felt for him was real and pure and drives the feeling of satisfaction that is currently overwhelming me. I love knowing that he's in love--even if it's not with me. I even saved my favorite photo to my computer because the image stirred something in me that needs to be sti...
3 comments
Read more

Welcome 2010

This has been an interesting beginning to the new year. The evening began with a beer and air hockey challenge, which I handily lost. This was followed with some extreme go cart racing and more beer, a dinner that consisted of leftovers from one of my favorite South Carolina restaurants and homemade fried zucchini. And more beer. I saw "The Hangover" for the fourth time and laughed like an idiot. After the ball dropped in Times Square, I saw pieces of "Public Enemy" and finally crawled into bed around 2:00 a.m. and stayed there until 11:00 this morning. I spent today playing with a dog, watching college football, and hanging out with one of my current favorite people. I don't do the whole new year resolution thing. However, I do believe in taking a look at the lessons I've learned and the experiences that have unfolded for me in the previous year. Anyone who reads this blog can already figure out that my divorce, running, and dating again have greatly influe...
5 comments
Read more

Trying to Keep It All Together

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer. Just this morning I said, "I'm having a hard time getting it together right now." I'm in one of those periods when showing up is the best I can offer, and I can't even guarantee that. That said, I just popped on here to share that I'm struggling. I'm dealing with a lot of loss right now. Some of it is easy to spot. Some of it I've tucked away because it's either terribly painful or terribly embarrassing--at least to me. Some of it was inevitable. Some of it was a surprise. All of it rises up into the center of my chest and begs me to stop for a moment to acknowledge it. It's doing that right now even as I type this. I'm having a hard time getting it together right now.
Post a Comment
Read more