An English Teacher Reflects by Lynn Hess

School's out today—
from hallways children burst
like milkweed from pods, but I remain
to pluck thumbtacks from boards,
stack grammar books, tug stubborn
gummy bears out of bare cubbies.
Another school year, gone.

Beneath a shelf, a tattered paper plane
extends a wing inscribed
“Juan loves Diane!”
A missive missile launching
a first love. I wonder,
did it ever reach its mark?

I wonder whether Luke will learn to spell.
Will Mia ever master punctuation?
Out in the yard, the final yellow bus
slaps shut its doors.
Another class departs.

Again, I tuck Jane Eyre and Frankenstein
beneath a summer quilt of frayed art paper.
Life moves on, unmoving,
I’m content an eighth-grader forever
who, like a figure on Keats' timeless urn,
expresses truth, so others
may know beauty.



Lynn Hess is a retired teacher who also conducted poetry-writing workshops in elementary and middle schools. Her poetry has appeared in magazines including Spoon River Quarterly, Blackberry, Encore, The Berkshire Sampler, youngperson, and Aeolian-Harp. Where Tigers Roar in Silence, a book of her poetry for children, was published by Lime Rock Press.