I thought he was going to **** me.
His eyes bespoke the strength of some strong emotion,
I assumed hatred.
I retreated, my feet treading garbage into dirt,
till there was no more ground to tread.
He grabbed me,
this stranger I had never seen
and stole the token so prized by lovers- a kiss.
A long, stagnant, suspended kiss.
I could not separate the moist circles of our mouths.
He held too tight, I dared not struggle.
Finally, his hands released me,
I gasped a breath of cool dream air,
and awoke as the warmth of his body
was replaced by the heat of my blanket.

When will we stop tearing our eyes away
From all the ugly things in this world?
When we have the power - the calling to make them beautiful
We're so worried about our image
That we can't even look a hurting person in the eyes

That girl wearing the long sleeves
Watches her father pummle her mother
Instead of watching TV
All she knows is hurting people
But the only one to hurt is herself
She welcomes the blade
And we just walk away
Instead of wrapping her in the love
She's searched endlessly for

The man that sleeps in the garbage
Watched his house and family burn up in flames
And blames himself as he starves unwillingly
No one spares him a glance
Let alone some change

Its time we make ourselves known
Instead of just existing

Allow me to
Take you to
Another side of Linny where
Rustling papers and
Noisy staplers and
Grades and records are
Abundant in number and
Children speak and
Children listen.

This is she.
Calm and cool as water
Never breaking her dam
Despite our endless
Relentless questions and
Talking sessions
She is patience.

This is she.
A world of second chances
And in our English classes
Forever with
Grace on her lips
Grace on her fingertips
Speaking out
Breathing in
Grace.
She is grace.

This is she.
Understanding and knowing
When you are struggling
She is there helping
Because she knows
She knows what it's like
The students' life
Sleepless nights
Bottomless cups of coffee and milk tea
Sometime between midnight and half past three
Trying to finish up essays and submit projects on time
She is kindness.

This is she.
A flowing, gushing fountain of
Ideas, ideas, and ideas
She comes in with magic in her pockets
Sunshine in her hair
Excited to share
A part of her life
A part of her mind
With us
Wanting to unleash the
Artist in everyone she
Tries to squeeze out every ounce
Of imagination and creativity we have in us
She teaches us to think
To ask "Why?"
To question our surroundings
To be open to new things
To find answers
To learn and to live
And be more
Than we think we are.
She is art
She is inspiration
She is patience
She is grace
She is kindness
She is a blessing
She is
Ms. Linny.
Yes.
This is she.