Poems for Tired Teachers

If you're tired,
Come with me
On the path
Of poetry.

You'll find a place
To rest your soul,
And feel once more
The teacher's goal,

To pass the torch
In the dark,
To be the flame,
That lights the heart,

For what is good
And has some worth,
For the journey here
On planet earth,

For the mystery that's
Too big to see,
Except,  perhaps,
Through poetry.

If you're tired
Come with me,
We're searching for
Our destiny.




She Went for the Stars
                     
(This poem is dedicated to Christa McAuliffe,
the first teacher picked to travel in space.
She died with the rest of the crew when
Challenger exploded 73 seconds
after launch on January 28, 1986.  In memory,
I wrote this poem on January 28, 1987.)

   She was a teacher,
     In a classroom like ours,
     But she dreamed like a champion
     And went for the stars.

     And when her craft exploded
     In a blazing ball of light,
     I saw how dreams inflamed her,
     When once they starred her night.

     "Why did you keep on dreaming?"
I asked the champions of the past.
     "Why did you even bother,
     In a world where nothing lasts?"

     And I wondered why so many,
     Would still dream of outer space,
     Would pick that torch of failure,
     Would risk that dangerous place.

     But perhaps, the torch she gave us,
     Was the brightest star she sought,
     Lighting risks along the journey
     We must take despite the cost.

     She was a teacher,
     In a classroom like ours,
     But she passed the torch for dreaming,
     That will take us to the stars!


           

A Rest in Childhood

Toys
And old-fashioned playtime,
Spark imaginations,
Build creativity,
Nourish young souls,
And give children,
A respite,
From the madly-paced
Adult world,

So they can rest
In childhood. 

Definition of Teachers

Astronauts
Exploring
The far reaches
Of the universe
Inside of students.

Engineers
Designing
Spaceships,
Strong enough
To carry children,
On their journey
Through life.

Scientists
Studying
The minds,
And hopes,
And dreams,
Of the earth's
Most precious resource.