Wednesday, May 20, 2020

little boxes, little boxes



the circle and the box

I love to work with learners,
less as a teacher, more as a guide,
as an opener of doors,
one who works to free-up stuck doors,
a cheerleader who supports the Light within
to find its way out,
to help the tenuous realize it is rugged,
to celebrate each victory of self to become better,

the classroom for us is where the circle dominates, unbroken,
each of our eyes upon the others,
and we begin to see who each of us is
and share the feelings which rise upon the other
which then wash over us, and we connect,

the audience in our new theater
sit in rows with as much curve as we could manage,
the theater consultant supporting us
away from the regimentation of lines
toward the embrace of the circle,
for then the audience sees each other,
feels each other’s laugh, sadness, joy
as performance comes to life,

such a community can be challenged hard in distance learning,
where the whole becomes more tenuous,
as the artificiality of cameras with us in boxes
can pull us away from each other,
with fear and anxiousness powerfully resting on us,
with the way back in to the others, into the group,
less beguiling than escaping away,
back into what comes more easily,
our individuality simpler, less risky,

yet in this world of Zoom, of distance learning,
I can still be moved by the spirit of the student,
who wants to do well,
who wants to learn, to achieve,
who still can find a way forward
to make tomorrow better than today,

each step forward a bit harder,
the view of the path murkier,
yet the light within each of us is just as bright,
and I joy when the beams will not be denied,
and the journey forward continues,

it is a privilege to be there in the digital woods,
and to help self and community find paths forward,
wholeness continues to be built and rebuilt,

the circle longs to be unbroken.

by Henry H. Walker
May 19, ‘20

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