No More T.E.s

By Anna Bernard

In my poems
I am not struggling with a numb foot
a twitching eyelid
and a weird hollow feeling in my chest
when I come awake.
My skin isn't going all to parchment
and my hair is fluffy.
I have vitality and adventures.
I can bounce like a child with moon shoes.
In my Audi, I am spoiled,
A Peruvian Moche woman ruler
in my chariot of gold.
My long black braids
whip along in the wind
and my crown is riding
easily in the back.
I eat no guinea pigs,
Just well prepared maize and potatoes,
green vegetables and grains.
Dinner will be waiting
when I pull up to the palace.
Since childhood I have been a teacher,
always a reader
a maker of many crafts
and a songful diurnal coyote.
Ten thousand stories
have walked up the ramp of my consciousness
and of those,
I remember ten thousand fragments
that color my adulthood.
In my wishes I am retired and learning new ways.
I write letters to the editor.
I edit my own writing and I write.
Lemons and sugar commingle
in a pleasant blend of life as art
and life becomes Art
and toil becomes Art and
Teacher's Editions darken my days no more...

Life After Retirement from Teaching

I retired in 2005, after serving United Teachers Los Angeles. I also taught in the Compton, Culver City, El Segundo, and Lawndale school districts before spending 30 years working for Los Angeles Unified School District as a classroom teacher.

Since I was dedicated to my students’ progress, I created The Bulldog Magazine and The Bulldog Magazine for Second Language Learners to provide my students with the opportunity to write, edit, and publish their work. I was also a trainer for the WRITE Institute for District C in LAUSD. I managed the citizen of the month recognition program, PRIDE, and VIPs to encourage students to do their best and to reach goals for personal achievement.

In addition, I became an activist in United Teachers Los Angeles as I became involved with assisting teachers at all levels. In 1983, I was elected to the House of Representatives and later served as the union commissioner at James Madison Middle School in the Valley East Area. My passion has always been the advancement of teachers as professionals, always championing for professional respect and recognition for the teachers I represented.

Since my retirement, I have become a published travel writer which included creating a website, www.luxurygreecetravel.com. I have also remained an eclectic writer. I will share my published works with you and look forward to your comments and mutual experiences.

by Roberta Mark Engel