Suspension of disbelief

I picked up my first fantasy book when I was twelve

It was called day of the dragon and I had to willingly

Avoid critical thinking to embrace the fact that dragons were not

In fact, real

So I keep that same suspension of disbelief to be able to survive

The hostility, the insanity in public education

I stare straight into the fire, this pyre of books

That had the audacity to give a voice to the voiceless

But I feel no warmth, just cold determination sprinkled

With reckless disregard for my own self

Because it’s all for the students – it was always for them

I place logic on mosquito wings and look past the narratives

We were heroes four years ago and now we are the enemy

But we prevail

Past active shooter drills and the slings and arrows of outrageous

Expectations just to give the kids a chance at a better life

So I paraphrase shakespeare

Once more unto the breach, once more

Or close the wall with our English teacher dead


To submit a poem, please send an email with the poem attached to poetry@texasobserver.org. We’re looking for previously unpublished works of no more than 45 lines by Texas poets who have not been published by the Observer in the last two years. Pay is $100 on publication. Poems are selected by Poetry Editor Lupe Mendez, the 2022 Texas poet laureate and author of Why I Am Like Tequila.

The post Suspension of disbelief appeared first on The Texas Observer.