You look behind ever so slightly
Looking for a certain face
But you only see the faces
Of the ones you have learned to trust
Learned to rely on
For they create the only constant
In your life
Who, you ask?
Teachers,
Lunch ladies
The principal
And other well-meaning adults
And with your eyes glistening
Like fresh snow on a sunny morning
You turn around
And cry out
Why?
Why do I have to deal with this?
You wanted mom there
To support you
As she did so many years ago
You would give up all you have now
FOR HER
So much for so little
But then you realize
It’s not your fault
She made the choice to let you go
She did that!
Not you!
It was not your fault!
She made the choice
To never see her grandkids
To never walk you down the aisle
To your happy ending
To your beloved prince
You can’t change that
So you look back
At those people
And the love in your eyes grow
Your respect for them increases “another” manifold
And you realize the people around you are your family
Teachers have loved you
More than your mom had the capacity to show
Have practically raised you
Have taught you what is
Right and wrong
What x equals when y is divided by 4.2
When Columbus sailed the ocean blue
What a simile is
Which bones goes where
Whether this animal is a mammal or not
When to give up
And when to stay strong
What color red and blue makes
What notes are in Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
How many minutes it takes to run that mile we all so dearly love
They encourage us
They work with us
They endure our quirks
They listen to us complain about our parents
While grading 18,000 papers
And probably wondering
What their kids say about them to another teacher
Most dedicate their lives to us
Most of them are so remarkable
That we talk about them years after they disappear
And most spend 10 years or more with us
After retiring age
Where we would be in this world
Without so many of our amazing teachers
I cannot answer
I couldn’t fathom a place
Without teachers
Except for utter destruction
So let us show them the love
They so willingly show to us
Day in and day out
Every year for many years
For they truly
Make our world a better place