One Step at a Time

She practically skipped as she adjourned 

Down the steep hill to the changing world

Sun glistening off her smiling face 

As she fastly paced

Not because she was late, because she felt great. 

Questioning: when does a human become a criminal?
She pondered if it happened once they were educated 

Or if a lack of education was the reason. 

That back-row sulker who needed a mile,  

But no one turned around;
Everyone else racing for a seat in the front.

Pausing in the middle of the hill,
It occurred to her that:
Narratives need to be rewritten. 

Give someone an inch they take a mile,
A negative connotation.

Imagine that kid in the back 

Handed an inch of hope

What if they grabbed a mile? 

She resumed her walking 

Making it to the point where the ground was flat again,

Feeling grounded. 

As she turned the corner her heart got warmer
Walking into this bright room, full of eager arms,
She knew a journey had begun.

As the kids spun around while singing a song
She started to sing along 
She didm't know the words,
But it felt so familiar.

As they counted up numbers,
And rounded up fractions,
One student mounted in doubt. 

Surrounded by students who found it a breeze
He could not keep up with the forecasted wind. 

She ran to help him, 

Seeking to give him that inch, however,
He took a mile.

When she came over, he was covered in tears.
But she mapped out this mile, it made him smile.
Because no one ever stopped and let him cry,
They didn't know why he struggled.

I can't  he claimed,
But her mile changed the game.
For he no longer felt alone in his pain.

She adjourned home as the sunset,
Embodying the closing of a fulfilling day
She knew small actions would lead to a chain reaction,
Panting while walking up the steep hill home.