Bringing life down 
to the abcs is like
a fresh start
where all questions
are not stupid questions
and you, the teacher
are allowed to learn
along with the children.
Today I stared at a long lime green
jumping bug that I have never
before in thirty-one years of
going outside ever seen.
I examined the paper-thin
flakes of mica that my daughter
had split and scattered along 
all the edges of the porch posts.
I looked through them and saw the world
through their transparent lens
and made photographs
in my mind.
There was a snapshot of a little girl
on her first day of school,
holding a new thermos
and smiling, introducing the neighbors
to our bright orange marigolds.