the students still call to me

 

I let go, but not completely

as I move past my teaching years,

I still feel the call of a school's needs

to be there for every student,

I still remember teachers of mine who were there for me,

and thus who still are there for me,

I need them as my self-doubt rears up again and again

to confound my steps forward,

I find myself both ready 

to let go of being there for the students,

and to still missing being there,

I am self-centered enough

that I fear that no one might be there

for someone who needs bucking-up,

that my absence on the team for them might matter.

by Henry H. Walker

December 19, ‘24