Saturday, August 31, 2013

They Will Get Their Devices

Big cheats blame teachers
force new gimmicks unembarrassed
as small CEO's worship scientifically
around the whiteboard with markers
fiercely play pretend learning
highlight circle steal match
Facebook's cognitive demand.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Across

We walked across the road
on flat feet no arches
I was first into the smoke
then the little romper
listened as I ignored
what was behind
it could not be
again we moved
down into the canyon
it was cool right in the water
fish hiding I did not notice
you were there.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Out of Wild

How could it be everything it is not
minus I guess check minus
about the standards not seen
right there in front
your faces children inspectors
about our work or what
needs to be harvested what needs
to be burned too late out of control.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Data Squared

By more than stupidity
questioned by bandy-legged
vets their basement room under
old school building near office
it was cool then staggeringly small
rough back outside in all that brightness
they made a neat million quite nicely.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Gotta Get It Back

Rosetta stone finally shone
bright bothering desert
packed and unpacked
to get there to a place
regular road like Sutherlin
recalls scratched out chopped
expanse with too much between
downtime of the major extraction
minor participation a page
from the student planner
actually page one is all about
recognizing unexploded ordinances
bombs in other words before
the three pages about bullying
after the spell check on my hometown.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Nothing Better

Amazing ingredients
all in one poem
each detail a vitamin
to support the whole body
delicious find I'm forever
ever in its aftermath
struck dumb but swimming.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Agenda

I was not asked but given the agenda
immediately a big chunk of our time
I mean a short chunk I'm hoping you'll
have a code today to register or see me
during break I'd feel really good to have
you registered when I walk out of here
today. The biggest bulk of our time
back in our level groups benefit to see
some alignment in those level groups
to unpack one of your embedded
assessments. At the end of the day
writer workshops only live online
what needs to happen within Springboard
you'll get swag a bag and a poster of all
strategies I hang mine up to remind them.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Flim Flam Shim Sham

Data oh data gathered beneath my feet my hands
data data what have you been up to
since last year when I got into trouble
asking the question I was not supposed to ask
about you about the data it came up a problem
came up within all the data turning it false upside
down the data became rusty rusted it was solid
as spring ice melting dissolving into a smudge
in the history of the world this watery world.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Blither Blather

Did I submit all my data
to the growing pile worried
proving my inadequacy worried
deficiency in the system worried
calls forth another era worried
other than this unregulated ocean
nowhere else with nothing but.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Home

There he was and then there he wasn't
with a burlap sack slung over one shoulder
happy but dead tired from a day raking in poems.
I waited down the road at the usual place.
Under that tree. It is cool dense shade
waterfall. What more could I ask for?
Truth with its fresh animals in the
fracked distance hell no HELCO
the last two days cars honking by
rattle and rustle of it are you there?

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Occupy Me

Heart soul neighborhood where the potluck
spills over into fun that's what it will be
in memory so I've given it a try and now
can only say change without really changing
do I have to after so many times resisting
the lie I would have to occupy like at work
when they say to add in the data for results
which never really truly could or did occur.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Smiling Starbucks Faces *found poem

Don't let it fool ya
I'm only tryin' to school ya with
my smiling faces that pat on the back
it is not true all the time only sometimes.
I've been afraid of changing but times
children get older I'm getting older too.
Well so you climb a mountain and you turn
around the land slides all the way down do
you see it maybe well maybe. Well maybe.
Obviously.  So obviously. Oh come outside.
My my. My my. I told you to be kind. I want
to see you again. Arm in arm we are born.
I should have told you I did without you
but I don't want to. I miss you. I don't want to.



Thursday, August 15, 2013

Teacher Little Beggar Teacher

It is not coal dust that I wipe off
my cheeks next to golden earrings
earrings earrings artsy scarf
scarf scarf and Dansko Dansko Dansko
(thanks Iver) not back breaking
work anymore in drifts they are now
asbestos residue mixed with signal smog
in the drone of data collection while my
submission divides draws near.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

America's Choice

New teachers from the ivy leagues leave
the state in droves as soon as they can dump their loans
say they are lab rats in the system
I thought it would not last this long
my workplace my lifetime this tale of disagreement.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Could I Borrow My Brain Back?

May I use it for a bit this day
as I please in the crush of debt
I thought I'd go to Sears to check
things out maybe a mini-fridge
would be the great equalizer
in the swelter that rides the day
my credit is good they say.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Chained to Worldview

The links clink shake
corrode in the salty air
water them and nothing grows
but the fact that the fact that fact
calculated written down I see now
to suck it up as they say deal with it.
There are debts I wanted (you)
and debts I didn't figure correctly (you)
I am forever in yours. I'll deal with it.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Tryst

On the board it looked knotted
Celtic like Romeo and Juliet I said
in the scrabble town amongst
champions of the game
points kept all important
there are winners and losers.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Baked Not Yet Fried

In the time that it takes to change over
to the underneath to the way there
it has become a different day
stepping through familiar
back then and now
there were steps
I took them
many and
then none
a path emerged
I remembered it
from before only now
it was smaller and overgrown.
I still like it there am satisfied. For now.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

These Are Important

The first one is the data profile
plan historical information
for the academic plan the next tab
is the monitor tab.  It has data
on the students. The problem is that
it includes students who are here
and those who drop out. Suppose
he leaves the school the next day.
The data stays in the whole year.
Operations is different.  Only data
in the school now.  Only at this time
the time it goes in.  See the difference?
This is where you're going to get scores
math and language arts. I'll show you that
in a second.  Data quality this shows where
the arrows are. I think it means they typed
the wrong keys. You won't be using this tab
much. OK I'm going to get started. How we
are going to generate questions. What questions
can we ask? The search for data in the system
begins with a focused inquiry question.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Password

Memorize the words you may need them I
tried to open the sesame sprouting when your back
when it turned it turned a moment ago round
and round in the best dregs of summer true
to the target I tried to grab it as it flew past
but you were not thinking I wanted to
catch it I tried too hard to slide in front
locating myself inside the meteor shower
the surprise the prize a cold lake in summer.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Common Sense

Not so common the sense that
filters down in between the still
fracas of dry blades where seeds
find the ground water if lucky
will sprout but not without
individual drops of rain water
chance in the blue light they crave
the weather is changeable or is it fated.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Either Or

They are twin ideas in one place
you are not in reality they said
again and I despaired but not today
I could have walked around aimless
in the desert not the airport
but there is the strange Northwest goal
its flicker forever happy light
because the poetry of it has settled in
always home on the road to find it
in the season of catch and release
I learned this waiting for the yellow light
to change and it did but I think of the green.