active listening for
you and yours
adding and taking away sounds
close eyes and carefully
surround the minutes
with musts
of forms
see your child
object to
shortened recess
because they can’t behave
without enough
poetry and nursery rhymes
buckle-shoe
eight-straight
glued facedown on tabletscreens
turning over
the other personal card spreads
player, player, take a turn
gold beaches
nice fine sand golden
in the warm sun
fuse pinched
at the end
the old itch
of us added
and taken away
inch by inch the days
get shorter
as the sun goes
down sooner
fuse pinched
no more warm sand
golden can’t stay
ponyboy won’t say
what sounds
we left off?
what is the word
that makes a difference?
the short time over mountains
the right way
the right way
to break a child
to break togetherness
separating each the same
first the same as the last
the long days in the car
cooking, mopping
tall grass cubs roll through
tent camps and moose maps
tooth up, tooth down
say it the right way
open the gate
supply the new world
play this game
riddles and rhymes
enchantments
separating sounds
from the rest of the world
ink and oat
one-syllable
two-pictures
side-by-side
cut-out
thumbs-up
thumbs-down
at-risk
chronic absence
builds a culture
of fear-based attendance
don’t move
sit in your seat
test until the grades improve
please-be-on-time scare tactics,
“you don’t want to fall behind
the first day of school!”
