the afternoon you went to the track supporting
the student with Down Syndrome
speed walking his way to the Special Olympics
silver medal

every time you found a way
to complete an assignment at home
after prepping dinner for your kindergarten sister

when you said thank you
in the situation screaming for your selfishness

every time you asked that question everyone was too scared to pose

that day you asked how to express
your feelings on a page
even though you were sure
no one cared to know

the morning your letter from prison arrived
and you asked me to read it
with the at-risk students

remember when we cried with your mother and grandmother
about your father’s passing

the class you learned to navigate a dictionary

the day you snuck into my classroom
and left a poem on the table
about the bullied black hair girl
fighting for tomorrow

when you wrote a paragraph for the first time
and it didn’t matter ten years of education
hadn’t taught you yet

the one time you cleaned the trash in your neighborhood
and made a mural of our heartlessness

the moment you realized your anger is no match for your laughter

you passed the test