Dawn sees me shooting jump shots--
running with children a third of my age.
Morning greats me with another fresh reading;
the U.S. Constitution never fails to amaze me.
at break i drink Pepsi,
i don’t have to stay young--
i have to stay energized!
(the animals will sense my fear)
Lunch is a salad
ashamedly, French fries.
Backgammon with Herby and Sasha
for a thousand dollars a game
(with money that doesn’t exist).
i talk about Caesar and Socrates all afternoon today;
Charlemagne tomorrow.
i am at the center of all that is good in the world
i teach.
Published in the Washington Post in 2003
haikus of the history teacher
#1
teaching history
youths become enveloped
by an ancient past
#2
children with futures
sitting quietly reading
antiquity reigns
