For the Humans

Promises kept are prejudices hidden,
Tucked away in a duffel bag,
Locked inside her antique armoire.

Little lies are bigger than greenhouse gases.
They pollute leaving no trace.
They may never have consequence.

This Christmas is only one day,
And we flourish and frolick.
And snow or no snow - I have made my amends.

I will not overcome the love I bear,
Like a single magnet harboring polar opposites,
Forever repelling, and always searching for an anchor.
On some refrigerator, in someone's home, to hold my picture, so you can remember.

Dusty Sockets to Sprightly Sprockets

I am back at school today, this time filling in for first grade. Boy, I sure do miss my Pre-K class! I consider myself the luckiest man alive when I walk through the halls to the tune of "Mr. Paul, Mr. Paul!" Heck, the first graders knew who I was although I had never met most of them. Days like today are composed of the stuff that people like me live for. To affect only one student - to change his or her perception of himself or herself for the better - that is a grand accomplishment. I hear so many people reciting "God bless our troops!," and my rejoinder is "God bless our teachers!"

-W.P.