one word

I received one word from an old student yesterday via the Facebook phenomenon: Quack.

In 1998, because of a frog backpack, students began calling me frog. Soon a dragonfli was born. Then a turtle and a duck. A crow and a goldfish. A tree and a swan. For ten years, creatures presented themselves to me through their words and the rest is history. Chipmunk, Mushroom, Worm, Bunny, Bambi, Iris, Cattail. The daemons kept flocking to a frog with their writing.

Out of the classroom, I realize the pond that I once knew. One word, so simple, reminds me of all the karma I felt as a teacher. And with that word, I feel so alive.

Ribbit.