Something You Should Know

Emily lives in San Diego, California where she teaches at San Diego Global Vision Academy. She serves as a teacher leader and instructional coach at her site, creating and presenting professional development for the teaching team. Emily is also a fellow and teacher consultant with the San Diego Area Writing Project under the National Writing Project. As a teacher consultant, she is honored to work with a diverse teacher and student population across San Diego. Emily believes in teachers teaching teachers and strives to perpetuate that model. She spends her free time with her husband, 3 year old son, and rescue dog.

Inspiration

There are many mundane moments and daily actions in our lives. These may seem less noteworthy, but upon closer inspection, you may find that they shed some light as to who we are as individuals. 

Clint Smith’s poem below sheds light on a being in a way that is subtle and powerful.

Clint Smith
Something You Should Know

is that as a kid, I once worked at a pet store.
I cleaned the cages
of small animals like turtles, hamsters,
rabbits, and hermit crabs.
I watched the hermit crab continue
to grow, molt, shed its skin and scurry across

the bottom of the aquarium to find a new shell.
Which left me afraid for the small creature,
to run around all exposed that way, to have
to live its entire life requiring something else
to feel safe. Perhaps that is when I became afraid
of needing anything beyond myself. Perhaps
that is why, even now, I can want so desperately
to show you all of my skin, but am more afraid
of meeting you, exposed, in open water.

Process

Make a list of places you have worked or lived. Choose one that stands out to you that you’d like to explore today. Use Clint Smith’s poem as a mentor text. Perhaps the repetition of certain words and phrases, or the use of powerful verbs. 

Emily’s Poem

Something You Should Know

is that when I was young, I once worked as a Kelly’s Coffee barista.
I greeted patrons
of all ages, baked blueberry scones, and
of course, made caffeinated beverages.
I tamped the espresso neat
and tidy, like a hockey puck, into the wand
leaving zero trace of crumb on the edges.
Espresso grind is notoriously messy,
Which only gave me more resolve to
meticulously pack it, manage it, control it.
Perhaps that i when I became
obsessed with having a spot for everything.
Perhaps that is why, even now,
when I get the desperate urge to
leave a crumb,
I’m afraid so
I sweep them all neatly away.

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.