I picked up my first fantasy book when I was twelve
It was called day of the dragon and I had to willingly
Avoid critical thinking to embrace the fact that dragons were not
In fact, real
So I keep that same suspension of disbelief to be able to survive
The hostility, the insanity in public education
I stare straight into the fire, this pyre of books
That had the audacity to give a voice to the voiceless
But I feel no warmth, just cold determination sprinkled
With reckless disregard for my own self
Because it’s all for the students – it was always for them
I place logic on mosquito wings and look past the narratives
We were heroes four years ago and now we are the enemy
But we prevail
Past active shooter drills and the slings and arrows of outrageous
Expectations just to give the kids a chance at a better life
So I paraphrase shakespeare
Once more unto the breach, once more
Or close the wall with our English teacher dead
To submit a poem, please send an email with the poem attached to poetry@texasobserver.org. We’re looking for previously unpublished works of no more than 45 lines by Texas poets who have not been published by the Observer in the last two years. Pay is $100 on publication. Poems are selected by Poetry Editor Lupe Mendez, the 2022 Texas poet laureate and author of Why I Am Like Tequila.
