Miss Cartolano
"The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind." Kahlil
Grade one, six years old, born to immigrant parents
not a word of English did I speak, but I found compassion
in a kind loving teacher who smelled like talcum powder
and wore baby blue eyeshadow the color of the sky.
She never married for the love of her life died at war
each time she spoke of him her eyes shone like stars *
I will never forget that first day at school
when I began to cry, for I did not understand language.
I walked down a corridor of oppression and gloom until
she walked over to my desk and leaned into my ear,
"Don't worry, I speak Italian too in case you get stuck."
Its as if someone had just let me out of a dark suitcase.
As I inhaled the scent of her talcum I suddenly knew,
I would be fine. Miss Cartolano was my first grade teacher,
she was the one who taught me how to never give up.
Copyright © Mystic Rose Rose | Year Posted 2024
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