By Charlotte Cosgrove
The first time I stood in front of them I felt they knew.
The yet unharmed ego of the trainee-teacher.
I stood, I sat.
I stood, I sat.
My arms were windmills.
Was I wearing the right shoes?
Could you see my lumps and bumps through the top?
I checked my breath as I walked to class.
They were waiting in the corridor for me,
Slumped against the wall -
Scatter cushions on a sofa.
They ceased talking when they saw me heaving
My bag of papers and unused pens.
I think about this now as I sit in another room,
Years later, with different students.
I am not bothered by my shoes, intentional with my arms.
Sometimes I slump against the wall waiting for them,
Watching quietly as they walk towards me.
Charlotte Cosgrove is a Poet and English Lecturer from Liverpool, England. Her work has been published in numerous journals and anthologies online and in print. Her first poetry book 'Silent Violence with Petals' is available with Kelsay Books and from Amazon. Charlotte is the Founding Editor of Rough Diamond Poetry Journal.
