A performance poem for my 6th grade students--Stalker

Stalker

I see you

laughing in the hall

yelling at the top of your lungs

to the person within whisper distance

I see you

pushing through the mass of middle-schoolers to make it to math

agitating your peers like a washing machine

I see you

showing your artwork

to your best friend

forgetting you have someplace to be

I see you

screeching song lyrics

either because you think they’re cool

or because those words are stuck in your head
Thank you for sticking them in mine

I see you

pop another piece of gum

daring to be a rebel

daring to get caught

I see you

battle with yourself

“Should I put my cell phone in my locker or in my binder?”

I’d go with the first choice

I see you

gritting your teeth

biting your tongue

refusing to respond

to the trash out of your control

I see you

use my desk and my floor as a garbage can

expecting your teacher “The Maid”

to pick it up

I see you

trying to sneak a kiss for your bf or gf

when in all reality you should still be playing with GI Joes or Barbies

Yes, I see you

I see you

growing like a weed

with plenty of water

plenty of food

plenty of room

I see you

maturing from

tadpole to frog

toddler to teenager

a lump of wet clay to an exquisite sculpture

I see you

giving 150% to an assignment

that you’re not even 100% sure how to do

I see you

share kind words with a student

who needs your friendship

like they need air to breath

I see you

struggling to comprehend

the words that are coming from  my mouth

but you try your very best anyways

I see you

raise your hand to participate

use the magic word like you’ve been taught

say “Thank You” and mean it

take accountability when you make a mistake

and

I see you

learn from that mistake

I see you

honestly engaged and excited about...

you fill in the blank here

I see you

becoming the next Edgar Allan Poe or Emily Dickenson

with writing skills that can’t be contained on paper

and to me,  anything you write is more stunning than

a perfect whip and nae nae

I see you

feverishly erase and replace a test answer with another

either showing that you doubted yourself

or you actually dug into your memories of the lesson

and found that answer that you knew was right,

either way

I see you

giving your all

I see you

genuinely caring about your grades,

your friends,

your families,

and your teachers

I see you

changing

right before my eyes

into a 7^th grader