self-doubt can blight

I believe. . .

Tinkerbell starts to slip away

and Peter asks us to believe,

and Tinkerbell is saved,

at my best, that’s what I do: believe,

I see each student,

and I believe in who each is

and in who each can become,

self-doubt is an off-switch,

easy to reach,

as if the universe prefers the resting state of inertia,

as if creation threatens entropy and dissolution,

and they fight back,

I believe in my students,

I help them believe in themselves,

every moment I fight my own self-doubt,

sharing that struggle keeps

the edge of my awareness, keen.

by Henry H. Walker

August 4, ‘18