Teacher's Prayer

please, god. let the hot water in the trailer turn on, suddenly, like a river flooding a bank. let the nirvana hoodie that reeks of cat piss be washed with fresh detergent. let these kids know some kindness. let these kids know someone holding a laundry basket to their hips as they walk to the washer. let these kids have coats to shield them from the harsh wind. let these kids have pepperoni pizza birthday parties and let these kids know the touch of someone who loves them.

let these kids memorize the wrinkles in someone’s face, really remember how they talked, 

how they shuffled a deck of cards, what they said when they stubbed a toe. let these kids have someone they remember, someone they could write a poem about, someone who loves them enough to put them first. 

please let the kids have someone who doesn’t give a fuck if they get a B minus on an essay if it keeps them alive. please let these kids have someone who doesn’t call them a “pussy,” someone who lets them have green hair, someone who keeps them like a child should be kept safely, like a flame clutched in a palm, not a match struggling to stay lit on a cold night.

please let these kids please let these kids please let these kids