Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by Illinois poets. This week’s featured poet is Lori Beach-Grass.
Beach-Grass started a spoken word club called LIT UP. It began at West Middle School in Rockford but as the group grew, literally and figuratively, the meetups moved to Auburn High School. Beach-Grass was a teacher, but multiple sclerosis pushed her into retirement. This April, the squad visited the WNIJ studio for a special Facebook live and while there, they recorded a few poems. Beach-Grass left some words behind as well. Here’s her poem “Practicing Survival.”
The surreal reality that teachers daily face is tragic.
I never, ever dreamed when I became a teacher in 1989…
Part of my ongoing educational courses would include active shooter survival training.
Practicing survival?
Teaching how to escape death?
Huddling 30+ students under my desk…
Shutting shades, locking doors, turning off the lights…
Hiding for our lives.
Teaching these Littles that nouns are people, places, and things…
How to identify the main theme of a story….
How to create a catchy thesis statement…
And, the best way to throw a book at an assailant…
To distract them long enough to grab their weapon.
The emotional trauma that students, as well as teachers, face…
Just participating in these drills is immense.
Like the stress of middle and high school…
With all the drama that swirls around us every day isn’t enough?
I’m heartbroken that this surreal reality…
Is so real.
