So...I've been absent for a while, mainly due to teaching overtaking my life. Things are fantastic in my classroom. I've got a more manageable class this year, but many are still very low, so I'm working to bridge and strengthen their reading and math gaps.

Today was a mixed emotional bag. We experienced our first snowfall in Arkansas, and it's still going; what a gorgeous winter wonderland transformation of our back and front yards. However, the arrival of devasting news of Dad's waning health dampened my joy. Desperate to escape my smothering reality, I fled into the bitter cold and stood staring at the barren and snow-trimmed trees. I ended up staying outside for almost thirty minutes.

When I came back inside, these haikus spilled out of me as I attempted to exorcise my inner demons and worries. I'm not ready to lose Dad yet--even though he's become a shell of the man he once was.

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.