to be there for the student

 a way forward

I feel called,

I see the student before me

in the glory of feeling and expressing self,

some embrace the other and the moment,

and some reject optimism and connection,

each is there and I can be there for them, with them,

one way opens up ripples of connection and positivity,

another way sees and knows the dark behind the light,

each student real, and true to self,

though the latter hurts more than the former,

I make the effort to see, to notice,

to speak to the child, to the parent, if possible,

for the way forward can be hard,

the risk to be and to venture question, idea, reaction,

wrapped in a potential loneliness

as one can step away from peers 

who are trapped in the moment,

I want to be there

each time one of my students chooses to risk revelation,

and to share the indeterminacy of feeling lost

until the step forward reveals itself.

by Henry H. Walker

September 23, ‘22