Elementary School Teachers

Mentally exhausted at the end of day,

The quietest room in the world
supposedly can only be tolerated
for 45 minutes. A teacher
might be able to break the record.

"on" for hours without many blessed interruptions
to the flow of lesson plans, demands of parents
and administration, teachers may require for their
salvation something of a buffer zone
before the chores of home and hearth dictate
activities before they've earned the right to sleep.
Excuse them, pray, at least until they've had a chance
to just sit still inside an isolated room and sip a beverage
of their choosing with a fan to blow upon their face,
something soothing playing in the background,
absence of small voices asking questions, needing noses
wiped, reminders constantly to sit, be quiet,
and focus on the task at hand.


(c) Ellen Gillette, 2013