Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

poem-loyal November 28, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:42 pm
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You think it’s a good idea to help someone out,

to help friends stay together..

So she wasn’t the first choice; it was a nice thing to do,

and she was thankful, for a little while,

but then she grabbed at other opportunities,

shunned the faith entrusted in her.

And in a desperate time,

abandoned the team.

I didn’t want her back.  Disloyalty is the greatest wrong.

To accept responsibility and then on a whim to leave,

throws trust back at the giver, laughs at them.

But she returned, and slowly trust was growing,

but here we are again.

Repeating the story.

It’s simply a lack of integrity when your commitments

mean nothing.  We are to train our students in ‘soft skills’

for the new workforce.  Here’s an important one:

be reliably trustworthy.

If you demonstrate a lack of commitment,

you will never get a good recommendation,

because no one will be committed to you.

It’s hard to earn trust and too easy to destroy it.

Once your lack of  honour has been displayed,

you wear it like a beacon that declares:

disloyal!

 

 

 

poem-not Justin November 27, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:20 am
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Tall, dark, curly haired, and smiling wide,

he poses against the Coast Mountains with a beautiful girl.

“Wait. Is that Justin Trudeau?” someone asks.

No. My daughter isn’t dating the (married) Prime Minister.

The ocean sparkles beneath the blue sky,

tankers, container ships, and whales pass by.

Our Prime Minister lived and taught here.

Now he lives and works across the country.

West Coast leaves a vibe that makes an impression,

Freedom and justice look different from mountain tops.

The view is more expansive.

Young people make beginnings that may be auspicious

with time.

Perspective is everything.

 

 

poem-running November 26, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 2:39 pm
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“I’m just running away,” you say.

Just.

Running.

Sometimes

Escape is a good idea.

If a tyrannosaurus is after you

or a smaller villain of equal viciousness, for example.

(You know what they say about sticks and stones).

Run today,

But keep your eyes open for future alternatives.

There’s a lot of meat in a tyrannosaurus;

harvesting offers its challenges,

but I have faith in you.

 

 

poem-stop November 25, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:48 am
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This is a stop.

But only a brief one.

Long journeys

Pre-school.

Kindergarten.

Elementary school.

Secondary school.

One bachelor’s degree.

Two bachelor’s degrees.

And finally school feels finished.

So we will celebrate as you don the cap and gown,

walk across a stage,

accept the diploma.

We’ll snap the photos and be glad

This is a stop in the educational journey

But soon it will be your own class room,

filled with your students,

and soon you’ll realize,

your education is just beginning.

P1020915

 

poem-elevated November 24, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:03 am
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Fifteen floors high

City lights  in empty offices

Row after row of cubicles glow

under the auspices of what dissipation

do they toss dollars to the sky?

 

poem-about you November 23, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:05 am
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Just in time

One brief interlude

Honest and true

Necessary connections

Before departure

Intertwined arms

Release the endorphins and

Dopamine that make love.

 

poem-far November 22, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:30 am
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As snow creeps down the mountain

I thread through the maze and take to the skies.

I’m only leaving you for a few days,

but my sighs reflect how bereft it is

to be on my own, far from the one who

makes my heart beat.

Far from you.

 

 

 

poem- little November 21, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:26 am
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Little thing

soft word

gentle touch

Little things

Big results

 

poem- class November 19, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:38 am
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Keyboard clatter

Voices, laughter

Students research

secrets of the universe.

 

 

poem- savings November 18, 2015

When Brianna asked why the Brits have such horrible toilet paper,

“Hearts of oak are our men,” Roger intoned, “stainless steel are their bums. It builds the national character.”

Diana Gabaldon in
Dragonfly in Amber

The government is loudly raving

school districts must  search for savings!

As they replaced all our paper dispensers

with giant boxes, our sphinxters grew tenser

The paper that’s extruded, (please trust this fact)

is a complete and absolute pain on the ass.

We’ve had to get tougher as the years go by

but this toilet paper, with its single thick, crispy ply,

is taking it a step too far.   If *Christie’s contract wasn’t enough,

You’re scraping us raw.  Yeah.  These days teaching is rough.

The government doesn’t seem to register

we don’t need to have stronger character!

.

true story  :-/

* Christie Clark is the current Premier of BC, and former Minister of Education.  Teachers dislike her for her destruction and defunding of education in BC.