In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day on May 5th, 2026, I share the following poems to uplift each and every teacher:
Presence
The sweetness of the day
brings morning light and child’s play,
and in the promise of it all
the soft air blows the sweet bird’s call.
The world’s not silent, dark, or grim,
for sweet laughter invites a grin
on every face where every ear
absorbs the sound of sweet cheer
that a child brings!
Connection
Children love the time we share with them.
Children love the hugs we give to them.
Children love the provisions we supply for them.
Children love the care we bestow on them.
Children love each preposition
on their hearts from day one: written.
Simplicity
Staying in the present,
outside of worldly time,
enjoying all that life offers
is living before prime.
It’s the pleasure of now,
to see as all is here:
the world without a mask of want.
It’s living before fear.
Children teach us to live
inside the place we’re in.
Children—all—enjoy what’s had
and so enjoying, win!
Optimism
Children are happy and feel as though
the world is bright, and so they go
on smiling!
They live with a quest
to do without rest
and so they keep on trying!
They’re strong and demand
what they desire
and so they succeed like an
urgent fire inspiring!
Balance
Adults play it safe.
Children long for space to explore!
Adults write lists.
Children enlist
adventure!
Adults crave peace.
Children create beats of joy!
In this place, we help each other
live well.
Growth
Underneath each upright tree,
inside each fallen log,
lay critters that we search to see,
as though in deep, dense fog.
To children, each crawling creature
excites each standing one.
The antennae, the legs, the tiny features
bring awe and joy and fun!
Such simple delights hidden inside
the depths of wood we know,
where all eventually stand beside
to listen, to search, to grow.
Thank You, Teachers, Keep Shining!
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