Page 45 - 2022-Mag_88-4

Poetry

Well, Look At Us

By Katy Hammel
Did we forget what heroes we could be?
Did we forget the power of our empathy?
Did we know we could stay strong when others fell ill?
Did we know we could pivot, again and again, and do so well?
When we were young and having our babies.
We knew childbirth was a test.
A measure of our mettle.
It was a choice of courage, to bring a child into the world.
Sleeplessness was an investment.
Every thoughtful moment spent with a child was a promise
that parenting right, right now, would benefit the future.
But in our forties, fifties, sixties ...
Things became easier.
The kids grew. The bills got paid, somehow.
The scope of the work, the shape of the work, became
a little more comprehensible.
Perhaps our ambitions adjusted.
Perhaps we were merely teaching,
instead of pushing out new human beings.
Perhaps we became (horrid word) dependable.
That was the illusion.
Covid revealed us to be precise, relentless, resilient beasts.
We remade the schools. We enforced new boundaries.
We protected families, squads, cities of people.
Think of all the things we fought off,
and fought for, this past year. Serenity © Acrylic
Think of the things we tried, and learned, and incorporated into our skill Painting by Bernice
sets, seemingly out of thin air, won, conquered, deserved. Haglund, MI; Fall
Did we forget we are champions? 2021 Art Gallery
I know there were brave generations before us.
Who traveled west to teach
Who opened schools for former slaves
Who taught youngsters in the mornings and GIs in the afternoons.
We take our place among them now, not as modern and indulged, but every bit as fierce as they.
Well, look at us.

Katy Hammel, a former civil rights lawyer, is a National Board Certified Teacher, assistant principal at Atrisco Heritage
Academy High School, and president of Gamma Chapter in New Mexico State Organization. kathrynhammel@comcast.net

Collegial Exchange · 43