Then, suddenly and eventually
You’re a standing filing cabinet
of English knowledge, an ammo-less canon,
Made of glass for accessibility,
Completely useless outside of this room.
And you just stand around and say things like:

Enjambment
        Conjunction
               Entrapment in a system of
                Juxtapositions and separate missions.

I understand why politicians hate English.
It’s where you learn to feel
       Where you speak to heal
I have not made it to a tenure of love
                  and I don’t think I ever will;
my why has always been to survive.

They said after five years it just gets easier
            But the lesson of a teacher is finality
            Will you spend 30 years giving back?
 Building your back as a ladder for the success
Of others; pouring thousands of dollars into
a piggybank you can’t break? Shaped like

                 A donkey, or better yet, an ass who talks
                     to you directly in your sleep and says:
double dipping
is criminal. The NEA posted a status update
asking teachers what they wish they’d known
                              before the weight

My thumb digs through regret:
                 “The best way to survive starvation is to
                     to eat from smaller plates”
   “Keep your resume updated for the job
        you’ll apply to hate after your retirement date”

Nikki Hailey says out loud that she pledges
                  to work us all to death
All the teachers you’ve ever met
                 welcome you to to our caesura—
All of us, sick of asking
              when is it ever okay to take a break?