End of Semester Sonnet

The last students hand in their final test. I try to make eye contact with each one, express good will, and wish them all that's best. Some stay a moment to say, "It's been fun.", and express how much they enjoyed the course. I hold back tears and the urge to hug all, 'cause walking out the door is my life's source, scattered to the winds like the leaves of fall. Only other teachers can know the truth of the pain of giving without return. Without ego, passing knowledge, each breathe hoping that something stuck, and they DID learn. I pass knots of students planning their break. I don't exist until the end of break.