TEACHER

I know I am supposed to be your teacher

And when I was a kid that meant a thick wall divided us

El río profundo para nunca cruzar

But in 10 years

it is you who have molded me.

Chipped away at that muro

With laughter and amor

Questions and creativity

Mischief and mistakes.

You push me to define myself.

To set my boundaries

but also to learn to bend.

Sending down my roots

deep beneath the surface of what you see.

Challenging me to expand,

to make myself large,

to embrace you in your myriad of forms.

You who have faced death, disappointment and loss

and yet persevered.

You who take risks,

left it all on the field, the stage, the test.

You who hesitate and poke at the world

we pass down.

You inspire me to stretch my branches

tall and wide.

To shield you with a protective shade

so you can grow strong enough
to endure the heat beyond these walls.