#SOL16 Day 31 Here's To Us

Back on March 1, I wrote about the bridge we were stepping on as we crossed from March to April in this month of daily writing. Today, on the downhill, we now easily trot the last steps to the other side, the place we've been journeying to all this month, the bridge itself full of discoveries and adventures. 

I found myself saying, "I haven't been reading much because of the blogging challenge this month", thinking about all the novels, chapter books, and picture books still on my TBR list. But, I caught myself after saying this, realizing I've been reading so much: so many moving, funny, surprising, brave slices. The reading and the writing have changed me- perhaps invisible to most, but the stories, poems, and posts I've read and written have changed me for good. (Nod to "Wicked.")

So, Slicers, this is my poem, celebrating us. We did it. A badge of honor that always belongs to us!

Here's To Us

Here's to us.
Here's to the late night typers,
The early morning risers,
The mid-day sketchers.
Here's to writing,
no matter what
time of day.
Here's to making the commitment
and following through.

Here's to us.
The times the ideas flowed
like a rushing river
and the times the ideas
dried up, like a raisin in the sun.
Here's to showing up,
and writing, 
somehow finding ideas to fill 
the glaring white screen.

Here's to us.
The ones who walk
through life, eyes open
knowing the moment to capture
is a blink away,
Finding significance
in a blade of grass,
and the yellow fuzz of a dandelion.
Catching moments,
saving stories.

Here's to us.
The times we pressed "publish" 
when we knew it was revealing,
The times we were honest,
The times we were brave,
The times we took a risk.
The times we worried
 we said too much
or maybe not enough
but published anyway.

Here's to us. 
Who teach from a place
of authenticity,
Who don't require of students
what we won't try ourselves.
Who know writing isn't
really about rubrics and grades
but communicating and creating,
Who know writing is life-work.
Here's to us who've 
walked the walk 
each day
in March.

Here's to us.
A community of strangers
who now are like friends,
Across oceans, 
across continents,
Connected by words,
Woven together,
each voice a thread,
in a colorful tapestry.
What we created
one March
we can be proud of always.

It's been a privilege
reading your words.
Here's to you.
Here's to us.