Tell yourself as it gets cold & gray
that it is going to pay off. 
The planning & grading,
the commenting & designing,
the paperwork & meetings. For you
there's the chance to reset over & over.
New units, new semesters, 
new years, new courses,
December punctuated loudly
with good news from seniors,
a future they hoped & worked for, 
acceptance, relief.

Tonight as it gets cold, 
count the days, and know
that there is never enough time and
that there is always just enough time.
It resolved, or it didn't 
in ways you'll never know.
They learned & they struggled
in ways you'll never know. 
And you'll start it all again
sooner than you can imagine.

And if it happens that you cannot
reconcile yourself to this necessary
end, this final weeks, then delight
in the joy of your students, for whom--
in the best possible ways--
you were just another adult
standing in the current of their lives,
guiding them, and telling them,
Good morning. Good job. Goodbye.