Fourth Quarter Freedom
Walking lightly hand in hand
The final push–now
Thirty-six sunrises
A soft reminder that it
Always ends, but will begin
Again and again
Goodbyes tender and severe
I stand seeing light
Wondering, sweetly
Hoping, dreaming, holding on
Deliciously free
Sonia Chintha is an Indian American writer who lives in the Washington DC area. She blogs, writes poetry, and fiction. She is also an English teacher who believes that our experiences teach us more than any test. She is the founder and co-editor of Good Little Girls.
The first time I saw the words “ms. chintha is a bitch” inked on to walls, I was 29 years old. I had been teaching for a mere four years, but felt so veteran already because I had stopped crying when fights happened in or near my classroom among students. Up until my fourth year, I blamed myself for not creating a safe enough space for my students and that’s why they began fighting.
Illustration by Deema Alawa Brightness Cycle: What Henrietta Started by Parivash Fahim Goff This piece was inspired by the play “Silent Sky” about Henrietta Swan
