Anywhere Hidden

Kaia woke up at 5 am today leaving me in an early morning fog. She usually gets up at 6:30. It was my turn to get her ready for the day. We got dressed, ate breakfast, and strummed the guitar awhile.

At school we played with smells and poetry while learning to use sensory words. One girl talked about the violent smell of salt staining the rocks on a beach. I was pleased by the fact that poetry is not really taught but exposed. I mean if a thirteen year old can recognize the violent smell of salt, what am I really doing here?

I played Miles Davis as they sat on the sofas scribbling their lines. Some were enthusiastic while others watched the clock. I hid my yawns like shameful confessions, stuffing them into my pockets, the drawers of my desk. Anywhere hidden.

I walked downstairs to make some copies. The weather was perfect again and the elementary kids played in the courtyard. “Mr. Rasidono…wait.” A little girl I had taught in summer school came running up to me. “I want to give you a hug,” she said and she grabbed around my knees. “Wow! Thanks. How is everything? What grade are you in now?”

“I am in 2nd grade.” She went running off. Back to her jump rope. Back to her friends. Back to the sunlight. I smiled and came back upstairs to correct scripts for my acting/playwriting class. “Why is this line important to the scene. Tell us more about Chris. Give us more of the story through her words.” They are pretty bad and need a lot of work.

I typed out this blurb and it is 11:00 am. I am alone in my room and I can yawn freely.