I wonder
I wonder if I will miss them
the boys I never dated but always liked
the grades I sometimes got but never really struggled for
the teachers I never really knew and will probably never appreciate
I wonder if I will miss them
the loud librarian
the science caretaker and the art teacher who wears a skirt
Some of them have left
the english teacher speaking italian
the only german teacher to understand teaching german
the dance teacher who didn’t understand
Others I only just met
The human who is both more and less than me but gave me a gift so precious i can’t describe
the woman who freed my words
the liberal who opened my eyes and told me everything is right
The man who listened to me and who I believe won’t talk down
But will I miss them
The 53 people I have spent a lifetime with
they made me jaded and small and fragile
and showed me how strong and durable i am
they drive me crazy and awe me all at once
I watched them grow up
and they watched me
and somewhere in between
we all stopped talking and looking and listening and then one day we turned around
and everything was white and everyone was looking and listening and they were all talking
to us
and It was over
and I just wonder
Will I miss them?
I only just checked back in at this place. I don't think most people have for a long time, too. Oh, well.
ReplyDeleteGetting to the poem itself: I think a lot of the beginning could benefit from expansion. Rather than giving a bunch of people one line, maybe give more lines to fewer people? Give the reader more than one aspect of each person (even though this reader knows who basically all of those people are). Just a thought. Basically everything after "But will I miss them" is wonderful, though. from "and showed me" to "all at once" could maybe be improved, but that's all I would touch. Those couple lines might be stronger if you could find strong images (what if instead of "drive me crazy and awe me" you do, like, theatre tactics at them in that line or something?) but they certainly aren't bad as is.